Incipient
by LonelyWriter42
Summary: It started a sunny afternoon with an accidental kiss that lead to a realization that shook Hyuga Neji to his core. He was in love with his cousin, and she might feel the same. NejiHina Incipient-Latin for Beginnings
1. INCIPIT

INCIPIENT

Author: LonelyWriter42

Summary: It started a sunny afternoon in training ground three, an accidental kiss that lead to a realization that shook Hyuga Neji to his core. He was in love with his cousin, and she might just feel the same. NejiHina _Prequel to Forsaken_ (Incipient-Latin for Beginnings)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

ALTERIVS NON SIT QVI SVVS ESSE POTEST-"Let no man belong to another that can belong to himself."

From the personal diary of Hyuga Hinata, 42nd royal head of the Hyuga:

_My eyes grow dark with age; my hand shakes as I write this. I have been privy to many things that have changed the shape of the Hyuga, Konoha, and the Shinobi world. My life has been spent in the service of the Hyuga, reforming the clan that sired me and making it into the one you see today._

_They tell me it is my 88th birthday today and I know that I will not survive the day, my reunion with my beloved husband, lover, best friend and cousin only a short while away. I have heard rumors about the relationship I had with Neji, the lies that I forced him into bondage because I was of the main family and knew how to use the curse grossly misstated. I would like to tell you how the story truly unfolded, how the simple daughter that was expected to live her life in simplicity as a member of the one time branch house rose above those expectations and became the most powerful head the clan had ever seen..._


	2. I IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS

INCIPIENT

Author: LonelyWriter42

Summary: It started a sunny afternoon in training ground three, an accidental kiss that lead to a realization that shook Hyuga Neji to his core. He was in love with his cousin, and she might just feel the same. NejiHina _Prequel to Forsaken _(Incipient-Latin for Beginnings)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I'm just a poor college student who loves the Latin language more than she should. Don't sue. Also, please do not tell George Lucas that I am ripping off his idea for a sequel that is actually a prequel.

...

I. IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS (Unknown by Means of More Unknown)

BASIVM MIHI HODIE SINE POTESTAS, AGO CRAS IN DESIDERIVM "Kiss me today without authority, live tomorrow in desire"

Hyuga Neji, bitter and full of self-hatred but Spartan and stoic to those who don't know him, stood just outside the gates of Konoha as the sun started to set, waiting for his former teammate Tenten to arrive from the training grounds that she had run back to claiming that she had forgotten something, his aggravation growing by the minute as she was now ten minutes late.

His annoyance continued to grow as he saw his younger cousin, Hinata, and her team come home, the dog boy yelling as usual about something trivial and meaningless yet Hinata was laughing at his words and acting as if they were the most important things she had ever heard. The bug boy trailed the other two at a slight distance, silently observing his surroundings like all ANBU were taught.

A feral grin came to his lips as he remember the night, almost three weeks ago when he, Shino and two others were formally accepted into the ANBU. His first mission was coming up soon and he as ready to embrace the new, difficult life.

He could feel Hinata's eyes on him as she walked away, the question she was asking one he tried to avoid if possible. In response, he gave her is darkest glare, the one that always sent shivers down her spin when they were children, the times they had been forced to play together almost a worse memory than his father's death. A hurt look came to her face and she turned away, her hand latching onto Kiba's arm as she threw her head back with a deep laugh at what ever he had said.

Neji's stomach started to turn as he watched his cousin act so carefree despite the fact she was the reason his father had died. 'Come on, Tenten. I will only wait so long…' He gritted his teeth as Shino started walking towards him, the Hyuga genius' hand slowly going to his kunai pouch.

"Aburame," the man with the long sepia colored hair greeted, not sure why the bug master was talking to him in public when they had been warned in explicit terms not to reveal their new status to anyone, especially by talking in public.

"It is a nice day," Shino commented, glancing at Neji from the corners of his eyes.

"Yes," Neji responded, giving the Aburame the same glare he had given his pathetic cousin only moments earlier. "Get to the point. Why are you talking to me?"

Shino turned fully so he could look at Neji head on. "No reason, I just thought that you looked lonely. Where are your teammates?"

"Gai and Lee ran off somewhere and Tenten went back to the training grounds for something," Neji bit out, not liking the fact he was being forced to talk to someone in public none the less. "Anything else you want to know?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"Hinata-san is training hard," Shino muttered, his eyes following the backs of his teammates as they disappeared around a corner. "She has improved much."

"Why are you telling me this?" Neji hissed, looking away. The last thing he needed was yet another person telling him the virtues of his younger cousin.

"She is training hard for you." Shino's eyes met Neji's through dark glasses, sending shivers down Neji's spine. "She acknowledged that she was not as strong as she could be because of something you said to her. After that she started training as hard as she could."

Neji bit his lower lip to restrain himself from saying something to his little cousin's teammate and now his ANBU teammate that he might later regret. "She might have conditioned her body to be able to do things that it couldn't before, but she is still weak. I have seen her fight her sister not to long ago and Hanabi-san still beat her."

"Perhaps," the be-speckled man replied. "But soon not even Hanabi will be able to touch her. Hinata has come that far, and I would like it if you would stop degrading her at every turn." With that Shino turned and walked away, acting as if the conversation had never taken place.

"That was strange," Neji growled as he turned and stocked off into the forest. "I think that is the most I have ever heard that man speak in one setting. He probably just used up his quota of words for the year."

"Who used up what?" A voice asked from his lift and Neji stilled, knowing who that voice belonged to and hating the fact he was alone with her.

"Rui," he said as he turned around. "I was almost hopeful that you had fallen off a cliff or something." He glared off into the distance, wishing that Tenten would show up and deal with her evil younger sister.

"Neji, how do you have any friends with that attitude? So cold to a person you have known all your life." Rui sighed and pushed her glasses back up on her nose.

"I've only known you since I graduated the academy." Neji corrected with a growl. "Where is your sister, anyway?"

"Onee-chan told me that she was only going to be a couple of minutes and then you were going to take us out to eat." Rui flipped her mahogany hair over her shoulder with her hand as she pressed her face into his so he could see the silver flecks in her lapis lazuli eyes. "So, where are you taking us?"

"Why do I have to take you out for anything?" He growled, looking around for his female teammate. Rui's gaze always unnerved him and today her eyes were even more unnerving because they seemed to see right through him.

"If you think that you are good enough for my sister, you had better start acting good enough for my sister." Rui absently started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "So? What is it going to be?"

"Fine. Where do you want to eat?" He sighed, knowing that he would never be able to win the argument. He glared at her from the corner of his eye; the woman standing next to him was nondescript, so much so that she blended in with any crowd, her only outstanding feature her flaming hair, but even that could be hidden with either dye or genjutsu. He knew that she and Tenten weren't really siblings; they had just grown up in next door dorms in the academy where Rui was an orphan and Tenten was as good as one, considering each other siblings because of their combined experiences.

Tenten's parents were high ranking ANBU, her mother had not wanted a child so when she had found out that she was pregnant, Tenten's father had to take precautions to keep his family intact rather than let it break up. Even now, after all the years of Tenten's life, it was always her father that initiated contact with her every time he was back in the village, his wife rarely, if ever, talking to the daughter she had given birth to. When he had first met the weapons mistress, she had kept everyone at arm's length. Her hard past wasn't something new in the ever warring Ninja Nations, neither were her formidable skills, but there was something about her that he had long admired.

"You are spacing out, Neji," Rui said in an eerie voice. "Are you coming down with something? Oh, wait, you already suffer from stupidity."

"Rui!" Neji growled in warning as he saw Tenten appear. "If you weren't Tenten's sister, I would have put you out of your misery a long time ago."

"Blah," Rui muttered, sticking out her tongue as she turned and jogged over to her sister. "Neji's taking us out! Where do you want to go?"

Tenten's brown eyes met Neji's silvery ones. "I think he should take us out to the steakhouse." She said playfully.

"And who is paying for this outing?" Neji growled at her, annoyed that she was playing along with Rui. "It isn't me."

"Fine, we can have barbeque." Tenten laughed as she went forward and took his arm. "You are so serious all the time, Neji. You need to lighten up."

"Yeah, lighten up." Rui repeated.

Neji just gave a long suffering sigh and started back towards the village, completely unaware that his life was soon to take a turn that would define his destiny.

The front door opened with a loud squeak like always, but Lee was still as a rock, a pun that Neji and Tenten liked to use against him with surprising occurrence.

Neji dropped his kunai pouch on the hallway table and glanced in on his friend's room, the door kept open at all hours-even when he was changing much to Neji's mortification-noticing that even in sleep he didn't take of the green spandex jumpsuit that he and his sensei were know through out the Ninja world for. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told the stoic Hyuga that it was well past midnight, the night's activities having kept him out well past the curfew that he would have had to endure if he was at the Hyuga compound.

The Hyuga genius dropped his shirt onto the pile that held several days' worth of dirty laundry, the second time that night his shirt had ended up on the ground, but the first time he had removed it. A slow smile crept over his face as he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, his skin now dry from the activity he had enjoyed only some twenty moments earlier but the smell of the dried sweat enough to drive him into the cool water that was raining down.

He quickly removed the rest of his clothing and stepped under the refreshing falls, his hair falling down his back and over his shoulders as he bowed his head and stood like that for several long moments, the heat of the passion he and Tenten had shared still exciting his body even now.

Ten minutes later he finally took soap to his body a small smirk on his face as he remembered how the night had played out. After the group had entered Konoha, Rui had insisted that they go to the mission office and see if anyone needed their services and when she had been press ganged into helping with a D-ranked mission he had been thrown into a laughing fit as he and Tenten went over to the barbeque hut. Team Asuma had been there, the fat one of the group eating at a rate that couldn't be healthy for any living thing while his teammates watched in total disgust that had also set Neji's stomach sour. The Blond idiot had been there as well, his return from his training with the village pervert making him one of the strongest Ninja in Fire Country and perhaps the whole Ninja world. His pink haired girl was there as well as the pasty faced replacement for the entire girl population of Konoha's affection.

With a grunt he had sat down at a table as far away from those people as possible, if it had been up to him he wouldn't even be there right now, but Tenten wanted to socialize so he allowed it in return for the later activities they would be engaging in.

"Come on, Neji, can't we sit closer?" Tenten moaned, watching the pineapple head and the blonde drag the tubby one out of the restaurant.

"Only if you want to be accosted by them," he replied, cupping his chin in his hand and glaring at the waitress that was scurrying around like an ant.

"Fine," Tenten sighed as she rolled her eyes before taking his free hand in hers. He sent her a look, public displays of affection very low on his list of things acceptable in public. With another sigh she released his hand. "Why don't we just go home?"

"I though you were hungry?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, playing her just the way he had wanted to. "Plus, you aren't the greatest cook on the planet."

"So?" She batted her eyelashes at him. "I can still make you something at my apartment…"

"I though you would never ask," he replied as he stood in one fluid movement perfected by long years of strict Jūken training. He passed the next idiot Hokage and raised an eyebrow at his companion to which Naruto grinned. Apparently Naruto though he was going to get lucky as well. Neji shook his head as Tenten pressed her body against his, reminding him that he was going to get lucky.

They walked out of the restaurant and started towards Tenten's apartment, the acts they were about to commit something neither wanted Lee to witness. By the time they had ascended the five flights of stairs to her apartment Neji was starting to get impatient and he pulled her roughly to himself as soon as she opened the door.

Her lips molded themselves to his in a familiar action and soon both of them were stark naked and christening her bed once again with their passion clouded thoughts.

Later he pulled his clothing back on with well practiced actions, her hands helping him as she pressed kisses into his shoulders.

"You don't have to go," she muttered as he pulled his shirt on. "You could say here and we could have some more fun…"

"I have a mission tomorrow," he replied. "You know, that mission."

Her eyes widened with recognition, going to his left arm where the ANBU symbol had been tattooed into his flesh as a reminder that he belonged to the organization and not himself now.

"Be safe," she whispered, pulling his head down for one last kiss. "Come back to me whole, healthy, and ready."

"As always," he replied, winking at her as he went out the door.

A laugh escaped his lips as he returned his thoughts to his shower and finished up. Even though he had to be at the ANBU headquarters at five a.m. he still had stayed up past midnight. With a wry smile he got out of the shower and dressed, knowing that he was going to pay for his lack of sleep in the morning but the night had been worth it.

"Ah, Tenten, one day soon you will make an honest man out of me." He chuckled as he went into his bedroom and slipped in between the covers of his bed. "But until then, I'll enjoy what you have to offer."

Hinata stood outside the great gates of Konoha the next day, waiting for her teammates and sensei to arrive.

She smiled when she noticed a bird several feet away from her, staring at her like it had never seen a human before.

"Hey there, little one," she cooed, pulling a ration bar out of her pocket and broke off a piece. She tossed the crumb into the road between them and giggled when it hopped over and started nibbling on it. Another smile came to her face as the bird slowly edged its way toward her and finally perched on her outstretched hand. The two of them stared into the other's eyes for several long seconds before the bird took off.

"Goodbye," Hinata whispered, feeling like she had just lost something important that she could never get back.

"Hinata!" Kiba yelled from behind her, the excitement in his voice telling her that he was in an excellent mood. She turned slowly, enjoying the touch of the warm sun on her skin and the sounds of birds chirping.

"Hinata!" Kiba yelled again, coming to an abrupt stop beside her. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long, Kiba-kun," she blushed as Kurenai and Shino joined them. "Kurenai-sensei, Shino-kun," she greeted, keeping her head down so they couldn't see the rosy complexion of her cheeks.

"Hinata!" Kiba yelled again, grabbing her arm. "Do you think that you'll get your new technique perfected in time for the jōnin exams?"

"I I I don't k k know, Kiba-k k kun," she stammered, the only time she did so anymore was when Kiba started yelling like an idiot, poking her forefingers together nervously. "I hope so," she sighed. "Kurenai-sensei, can you help me?"

"Of course," the female jōnin said. Hinata was like a beloved child to her and her heart ached every time the Hyuga Heiress was put down by anyone, but especially her family. "Where would you like to begin?"

Hinata raised her head, a hopeful look on her face. "Can we… s s start with the c chakra control?" She whispered, biting her lower lip.

"Of course, lead the way," the two toned red eyed sensei smiled.

Shino stood on the outskirts of the training ground; his eyes following every movement made by his female teammate battle their sensei, the minute flaws in her defenses a vast improvement over the form she had been showing only weeks earlier.

Both women broke off from their attacks to slowly circle the other, both breathing heavily as they tried to find holes in the other's defenses.

"She has gotten so much better," Kiba sighed from where he was sitting on the ground next to the bug master. "It's hard to believe that only a short while ago she didn't even know how to do the Kaiten," he sighed in admiration.

"Yes, she is getting better all the time," Shino agreed, silently congratulating the indigo haired girl when she successfully used the Kaiten to defend against their sensei's kunai and shuriken. "She is strong." He whispered.

"Man," Kiba groaned moments later when he glanced up at the sky. "I have to get home. Supposedly my "wonderful" older sister has something going on and I have to watch her demon spawn."

"You shouldn't call you nephew demonic," Shino said in his normally soft voice.

"Yeah, well you don't live with them. He cries at all hours of the night! Day and night, night and day, he won't be quiet! I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since he was born! At least I'm not going batty like my mother is." He chuckled as he stood. "Dad's having a hard time keeping the peace and Shū wisely decided that disappearing when there is a crazy wife and mother-in-law living in the same house is a good thing. Gawd I wish I could have gone with him on that mission."

"I will get better after a while," Shino said. "When my sister was born, everyone had to sleep with cotton in their ears for a full year and then she barely uses her voice now."

"Jeez, I wonder why?" Kiba rolled his eyes. "It's not like she's an Aburame or anything…"

"Are you insulting our ability to speak?" Shino turned his gaze on his teammate and watched him wither under the scrutiny.

"Never mind!" Kiba yelled as he jumped to his feet. "See you!" He called over his shoulder as he dashed away.

"Shino, did Kiba just leave?" Kurenai called.

The bug master turned from where he was watching his friend run away and walked over to the genjutsu user. "He had to baby-sit."

"Ah," Kurenai nodded her head. "I wonder if he would like to baby-sit my son…"

"No," Hinata giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. "He thinks babysitting is below him," she glanced up at the sun and then shook her head. "It's time to go home," she sighed in a slightly depressed voice.

"You could come over and visit me and change a couple of dirty dippers…" Kurenai laughed. "We would love to have you."

"Thank you, but I have to go home," the Hyuga heiress bit her lower lip a dejected look coming to her face.

"I'll walk you home, Hinata," Shino offered softly.

Hinata's face lit up. "Thank you, Shino-kun."

Shino nodded his head toward the village and Hinata turned to give her sensei a hug before skipping along at his side.

"How is Shiri?" She asked as the entered the canopy of the living green and brown branches and leaves.

"How is a six-year-old supposed to act? She acts like a six-year-old girl." Shino replied to which Hinata let out a burst of laughter. "What?" He questioned.

"Oh, that answer is so Shino like. You answer the question with another question and then repeat the one before it as the conclusion," Hinata gave him a big smile. "I like that about you."

"Do you?" He replied dryly, secretly pleased with her response to his words. Only a year ago she would have clammed up after her laughing fit and fainted if someone tried to draw the reason behind the laughter out of her. He took this newest development as a sign that she was growing, just like he was sure that he was growing as well.

"Yes," she blushed, looking away.

"So you like me?" Shino tilted his head to the side as they entered Konoha and started navigating the busy streets to the Hyuga compound.

"Shino-kun!" She protested, her face bright red.

"I'll take that as a yes," he teased in a un-Shino way.

"Why are men so difficult?" She questioned with a sigh. "Maybe it is something that they are genetically designed to do. Women are open, men are stubborn."

"I could disagree, but we are having such a lovely discussion." Shino made a face as they made it to the gates of the Hyuga holdings.

"No, you wouldn't disagree, you don't like strife." Hinata said, crossing her arms over her chest before she went up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for walking me home, Shino-kun."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, catching her hand. "If you ever need me, you know were to find me."

"Yes," she smiled as she gave the hand a squeeze before turning and entering her home.

Anger is all Hyuga Hiashi felt when he saw his elder daughter walk through the gates of the Hyuga compound and then kiss the Aburame boy's cheek. The emotion flowed over and was enough to make him want to rush the younger man and place a Jūken blow to his chest, only long years of restraining his emotions keeping him from doing just that.

The Aburame boy released Hinata's hand slowly, his body language telling Hiashi that the boy had less than honorable intentions toward his firstborn and heir. With a growl the Hyuga Head spun on his heal and walked into his office, glaring at every servant he encountered in his haste. He glared at his guards as he entered the room that had been his base of operations since he was young, all the ways he could disgrace the Aburame running through his mind as he sat down on the zabuton in front of his kotatsu, his fingers scraping over the tatami mats on the floor.

"Guard!" He yelled.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama?" The man asked softly as he appeared in the doorway.

"Call my nephew to me." He hissed, glaring at the man. "Well?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. I will bring Neji-san to you," the man nodded and backed out of the room.

"Idiot," Hiashi glared at the tokonoma behind him, the kanji for wisdom clearly displayed in it. He sat glaring at the far wall for several long moments before the man returned with Neji in tow.

"Neji-san, Hiashi-sama," the man nodded as if he expected to be rewarded.

"Leave," Hiashi waved his hand at the door and glared at the branch servant until the man got the hint and scurried out the door.

"Uncle," Neji said his eyes narrow as he gazed at his father's brother. "What can I do for you?"

Hiashi stared at the younger man for several long moments, thinking about how much he resembled the Hyuga head's dead brother and also himself. If he hadn't known that Neji was Hizashi's, Hiashi would seriously suspect that Neji was his.

"Neji, it is my wish that you return to the Hyuga compound so you can guard my daughter." Hiashi said, watching the younger man for his reaction.

Neji's eyes narrowed further and his eyes became haughty, his mouth slowly opening and closing. "May I inquire as to why I must return only months after leaving?"

"Hinata, I fear, is becoming easy," Hiashi spat, watching his nephew's face register shock and disbelief before closing down and becoming stoic again.

"I do not believe that Hinata-sama is easy," Neji said though he had through that the girl was much to open for her own good on several occasions. "She only wishes for friends."

"Friends," Hiashi laughed, slowly standing. "She will not lose her maidenhood before her marriage and you will make sure of this."

"Uncle," Neji protested, felling suddenly like a caged bird again only three months after he had managed to convince the family to allow him to move into an apartment with Lee.

"You will do this, Neji." Hiashi pronounce slowly, a dangerous look coming to his eyes. "Do not make me force you into submission."

Neji felt anger flare beneath the surface and felt his hands clench at his side before he slowly took a deep breath and released it. "I will do this, Uncle." He said with hatred. "Hinata-sama will be well guarded."

"Good. You will be staying in the branch house until your old room can be renovated. Leave my presence now," Hiashi waved his hand as he walked over to the room's window and gazed out at the house his ancestors had built and he now defended. "Do not disappoint me, Neji."

"Never Uncle," Neji replied then left the room.

Dinner was always a lavish affair at the Hyuga compound, the time of day when all members were inside the compound enjoying being with family and friends. Hinata glanced at her side and caught sight of her cousin again wondering why he had returned to the compound. She slowly raised her chopstick to her mouth and chewed like a lady of high standing was expected to, the pink and purple kimono sleeves swaying with the movement.

Hanabi made a humming noise in the back of her throat beside her, alerting her to her father slowly rising. Hinata stared at him from the corner of her eye, wondering what he was going to say. Hiashi stood still for some seconds before the family members gathered quieted down.

"Today I am pleased to say that the Hyuga have entered into negotiations with the Daimyo for a land grant in the north." The Hyuga head said proudly.

Hinata gave a sharp look at her sister who had blanched at their father's announcement, the implications of this new development almost unfathomable.

"And I am also happy to announce that my nephew, Hyuga Neji will now be my elder daughter and heir's protector." Hiashi's face glowed with happiness as he sat back down and raised his sake cup to his lips.

Hinata felt her heart freeze in her chest as her cousin's eyes met hers. The hatred in his eyes was enough to make her want to vomit and she found herself turning away so she didn't have to look into his eyes. The rest of the night was lost to her as she tried to keep a happy look on her face and ignore the ever present body of the cousin that once tried to kill her and wasn't repentant even now.

Finally a respite from her older cousin came in the form of retiring for the night, the only place that Neji was not allowed to enter without permission from her. With a sob, she locked herself in the bathroom and took a bath so long the water was ice cold by the time she got out. She shivered as she pulled her bathrobe on and went out into her room, totally lost as to where her life was taking her. She threw herself onto her bed and sobbed for the life she was now going to be forced to live again. She had been truly happy when Neji had left to live in the apartment with Lee, it meant that she didn't have to deal with him anymore but apparently her father had decided that she needed even more stress in her life as she got ready for the Jonin exams that were coming in only a few short months.

She thrashed around for several hours before raising and dressing. She grabbed a pair of silk slippers and put them on her feet, going over to the window as she did so. It opened without a sound, showing her that it was well taken care of. She shook her head at the thought that it was kept in such condition so assassins could get to her at any moment though it might prove to be true considering her father's recent actions toward her. With a hiss, she dropped out of it onto the soft ground, her feet barely making any marks in the soft dirt as she sprinted away, her hair flying freely behind her as she made it to the guard house next to the gate and easily jumped over the wall. She looked in all directions, making sure no one was following her before she dashed away toward the only refuge she had left.

The door of his apartment was never locked but she still knocked, wanting him to know that she was there so he wouldn't be surprised when he woke the next morning and saw her on his couch.

The door opened only moments later, his hair matted against his face while his eyes were clouded with sleep. "Hinata," he said softly, looking her over quickly to see if she was injured.

"Shino-kun," she whispered, "Can I stay here tonight?"

He bit his lower lip and for a second, she thought that he might actually reject her, the first time such a thing would have happened, but then his face cleared and he motioned her inside.

"What is the matter?" He questioned as he moved into his living area, pushing various scrolls, weapons and articles of clothing out of his way as he went.

"You need a housekeeper," she commented as she dropped into a chair at his kitchen table, her head resting against the cool surface of the worn honey colored wood. "Would you hire me?"

"What happened?" He pressed, going to his cupboard and extracting a sake bottle and two cups. "Did your father do something?"

She winced and looked the other way, wondering how her friend could read her so well. By the heavy sigh he gave as he set the bottle down, he wasn't too happy with his gift either.

"What did they do?" He asked softly as he started pouring the clear liquid into the cups and then handing her one and taking the other for himself. "It must be bad if you came here and asked to spend the night."

"Neji is back at the compound." She said without particulars, staring at the cup sitting in front of her with a frown.

"What happened?" He sighed, his voice telling her that he remembered the last time she had spent the night all to well.

"I don't know, honestly. All I know is that he is now living in the Branch house again until they can get the room next to mine fixed for him," she said as her hand gripped the glass but she did not bring it to her lips.

"Drink, Hinata. It will help," Shino encouraged, pressing her fingers around the cup into a tight grip so she could bring the glass to her mouth.

"You know that I can't hold my liquor." She sighed, spinning the cup so the liquid inside swirled around like a whirlpool. "Shino, have you ever hated someone?"

"Yes, Neji when he hurt you during the Chunin exams. I don't know if I have forgiven him yet or not." Shino peered into her eyes intently. "Drink."

She glanced up into his eyes then nodded, the sake cool in her mouth but it burned as it went down, showing her just how much she drank. "I don't understand my father. I never have." She sighed as she set the glass down with a clink. "He…" She trailed off and shook her head. "He is the Hyuga Head and he likes to remind everyone about it."

"You should get some sleep." Shino muttered, taking her glass away. "You can have my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Shino?" She whispered, suddenly very aware of were she was and who she was with. "If my father…"

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"When my marriage is decided, I hope that it is with you," she whispered, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks like hadn't happened since Naruto's return.

Shino's eyes met hers for a long moment and in it she felt as if she had found the home her heart was always yearning for.

"I hope so, too." He whispered, placing a kiss on her brow. "Get some sleep, Hinata. I will see you in the morning and we can talk more."

She nodded, her heart souring as she went into the bedroom and curled on the bed, blissful slumber overcoming her with Shino's pleasant scent filling her mind.

The next morning Hinata woke before the sun. She slowly stretched in the bed and allowed the familiar scent to fill her mind. A smile came to her face as she stood and then picked up one of the white silk slippers she had worn in her flight from the Hyuga compound. They had been her great-grandmother's and were for her wedding day but now they were brown and frumpy. A giggle escaped her lips as she realized that they probably could have been sold and a small fortune could have been made off of them before the night before.

She made a face at the slippers in her hands and then put them on, shaking her head at the sheer amount of money her family had and how they spent it so frivolously. She opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway, trailing her fingers over the wall as she entered the kitchen.

Shino looked up from where he was reading a scroll at the table and smiled. "Good morning.

"Good morning," she grinned, noticing that he had a pot of tea sitting on the stove and an extra cup sitting on the counter. She picked it up and glanced over her shoulder, a smile gracing her features. She poured the tea into the cup then sat down across from him. "Important?"

"Boring," he replied.

"Ah," she nodded, covering her mouth with her hands to hide her yawn. "I sorry that I took your bed; you probably didn't get a good night's sleep. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He looked up at her then gave a slight smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby," she replied with a grin. "It comforted me, you scent. I felt like I was safe and secure," she whispered with a blush. "I hope…"

He reached across the table and grasped her hand. "When I get back from this mission, I will talk to my father and ask him for his permission to marry you."

She glanced up at him sharply before lowering her gaze with a blush. "The faster you go the faster you get back," she said, staring him in the eyes.

"My thoughts exactly," he replied with a smile. "You should be going."

"Yes," she sighed as she stood. "I better be home before my maid walks into my room and I am not there." She walked over to the door then stopped and turned to wink at him. "I'll be seeing you?"

"Of course," he replied, giving her an unchecked smile, something that she had never seen and it caused her heart to soar, the thought that this man would soon be her husband enough to help her get through the rough day sure to come.

She had managed to sneak back into her bed before her maid came in to wake her up, by the look on her face she hadn't know that her mistress had not spent the night in her bed.

Hinata gave herself a wry smile as she slowly went towards the training grounds. She knew that her sensei wasn't going to be there today and that Kiba had some clan function that he couldn't get out of no matter how much he protested to his mother.

The clearing was the same as it had been the day before, the grass gently ruffling in the breeze, leaves that had dropped to the ground dancing around each other as she stepped into the middle of the clearing, allowing herself to let go and become one with nature. It was almost an hour later when she started going through her warm ups, the Jūken requiring absolute control and devotion to its complicated movements. She worked through each movement slowly, not wanting to over exert herself while she was still doing the basic moves that had been taught to her when she was little. Her cheeks burned as a memory came unchecked to the surface. She had only been three-years-old when she had first met her older cousin, the son of her father's twin, but at that time she was already almost a year behind in the strict training the Hyuga imposed on all children born to them.

An unlikely month long childhood illness had kept her from her father's dojo after she had been returned to his house so when Neji had arrived to learn how to be her protector, she had lacked the knowledge of how she was supposed to act and how the clan _expected_ her to act. She had been carefree as a child, her unlikely birth to a woman thought to be barren enough to make everyone that was happy Hiashi finally had an heir, whether a male or not, spoil her.

She moved into more complicated moves as she continued remembering her younger life as she told herself that the sting in her eyes was from the wind biting at them. That day at the dojo her uncle and cousin had been invited to watch her training session so they would know how to protect her but her uncle had seen that she had no real talent as a kunoichi. The bloodlust had slipped past his barriers and into the open where her father had noticed it. His screams of agony still kept her up at night, the first time she had seen the curse activated forever burned into her memories. Later when she had been returned to her mother's rooms she had asked Hiromi about what had happened and her mother had stared at her in shock, upset that he husband had subjected the innocent child to such horrors.

Hiromi had protested to her husband, the first time she had ever gone against him. Hinata could still hear their raised voices, she could still feel her knees shaking, knocking against each other, she could still fell the tears dripping off her chin, and she could feel a childish hand taking hers and giving it a squeeze. Neji had somehow found her secret hiding space and crawled into it to comfort her, not knowing that the source of her distress was his father's actions. They had sat together in between the walls and had both fallen asleep only to awake to a house in an uproar at the fact the heiress was missing. They had crawled out of the hiding place and into the confusion her fears that something had happened to her mother nothing compared to the scolding she was about to receive.

Neji had managed to get out of the scolding somehow, leaving her all alone with her proud and strict father. Her mother had tried to protest that punishing their only child was not the correct course of action to take but Hiashi wouldn't hear of it.

Hinata collapsed to the ground hugging her arms around herself as her father's words rung in her ears, his voice telling her that he would not stand for her to be anything but perfect still causing her heart to skip a beat as she remember the look in his eyes when he had said those words. He had been not only _disappointed_ but down right _ashamed_ of her and still was. No matter what she did to improve herself, she was still a failure in her father's eyes and somehow along the way she had become the bane of the little boy that had a childish crush on her existence.

Neji stood outside the main house dojo, waiting for Hiashi to appear and tell him why he was summoned an hour earlier only to be ignored. A deep growl came from the back of his throat as he thought about how he was being treated like a slave again, the fate he had tried to escape by moving outside the compound suddenly slapping him in the face again, showing him no matter how hard he fought it, he was still bound to her.

"Ah, Neji," Hiashi said as he stepped out of the dojo, his sharp eyes taking in his nephew's tense posture. "Where is Hinata?"

"Hinata-sama?" Neji repeated, suddenly sickened like he always was at the very mention of the girl's name. "I do not know."

"Are you not her protector?" Hiashi asked as he came in closed to his nephew. "You had better find her and make sure nothing has happened to her." Hiashi pulled back and started towards the main house. "I expect to see both of you at supper."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," Neji muttered, remembering why he had been forced back to the main house in the first place. Hiashi had thought that his daughter was easy with the men of Konoha and he wanted to make sure that she entered her marriage bed pure. "Annoying _brat_." He hissed as he entered the compound and started asking around for the indigo haired heiress's whereabouts.

No one he talked to could tell him for sure where she had gone, all seeming to think that she was in the compound but after a thorough search she was nowhere to be found. Cursing all the servants that seemed to have misplaced their brains this morning, he left the compound and started asking around Konoha if anyone had seen the object of his search. Everyone he encountered seemed to think that they had seen her at the hospital that morning so he made his way across the village to the three story hospital. He entered the front doors and glanced around, not recognizing anyone who was scurrying around. He had hoped that at least the girl with the pink hair was here; she seemed to have her head on straight and could probably tell him where his cousin was.

As it were, the woman sitting behind the sign that read information had no idea what he was even talking about making him even more upset. He gave her the darkest glare he possessed and was pleased when she cringed back in her seat. With a toss of his head he left the hospital and stepped out onto the busy street, always keeping watch for a head of flowing indigo hair. He passed the annoying skinny bitch's family's flower shop and saw the blonde inside gossiping with a woman who looked like she could lose three-hundred pounds and still be considered heavy; he assumed that woman was the mother of the tubby boy who's only jutsu was inflation. Neji idly wondered if he used it to impress the ladies and then decided that he didn't even want to think about it.

The great gates of Konoha entered his vision and he decided that it was time to look on the various training grounds around the village walls. He glanced at the two bumbling idiots that watched the gates but decided that they would not be a reliable source of information to tell him if Hinata had gone this way or not. He went to training ground one first, expecting to find her there because he knew that was where her team usually trained. He entered the grounds and promptly left them, sensing that no one had been there the whole day. A quick search of training ground two told him that it as disserted as training ground one.

With a growl he activated his byakugan and continued his search, the virtues of his abilities with the kekkei genkai allowing him to find her small body lying on the ground of training ground three. True panic seized his heart at the sight of her still body, not out of concern, he didn't think that he would ever be concerned about her, but because he knew if something happened to her, it would also happen to him. He clenched his hands at his side as he sped through the trees to her, praying that she was okay and if she was, she would get the scolding of her life.

He dropped down into the training ground and approached her with words of hatred on his tongue. He knelt at her side and none to gently shook her, finding that her breathing was normal. "You feel asleep?" He hissed as her eyes fluttered open. The next words he was going to say died on his lips as she opened and closed her eyes several more times, confusion clear in them.

A sudden desire over came him and before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing those plump lips, _enjoying_ the feel of their softness against his own. His tongue slowly entered her mouth and he lost all control over his actions. He was on top of her then, grinding his hips against hers as he put all his weight on his left arm to free up his right hand to play over her body. She gave a moan when his hand came into contact with her breast, his fingers playing over it, causing her to arch her back in pleasure.

Revulsion coursed through his body at that, he had never in his wildest, wettest dreams imagined that he would be kissing his cousin like this, and that she would be reacting with such pleasure at his actions. He jerked away from her and stood with his back to her, forcing his breathing to come out in evenly and his heart to slow down to a normal rate. He heard her slowly stand behind him, her breathing just as erratic as his had been.

"Nii-san," Hinata whispered in surprise, touching his arm and turning him towards her, her eyes half closed as she tried to remember everything about her first kiss.

"Hinata-sama, you were born into privilege and with that come certain responsibilities." He whispered into her ear as he pulled away.

"Nii-san?" Hinata said with confusion in her eyes, totally unsure why he had kissed her with such passion and was now acting like he hated her again.

"You are spoiled and a member of the main house, thus you will always have everything you will ever need given to you." He hissed ineloquently.

"Nii-san, why? Why did you kiss me?" She frowned, her thin brows drawn into a v shape. "Why?"

"Because all my life I have been told that there are things I cannot have and yet, I long for them." He answered, pushing away from her. "Your father sent me looking for you, Hinata-sama. Go home to him."

"Yes," she sighed. "Duty calls." She slowly turned and left the training grounds, her hand pressed to her heart. She didn't know why he had kissed her like that but she was determined to find out.

Neji stood pressed against the tree back as his smaller cousin walked away, going to the father that neither acknowledge nor liked her and yet she was still perfectly loyal to him in everything. The sepia haired man slowly raised his fingers to his lips and pressed them against the sensitive flesh, the memory of Hinata's lips against his permanently burned into his memory. With Tenten it was a fast, all consuming desire that drove him during their love making but this one kiss with Hinata revealed to him something he had always suspected was missing between him and Tenten: love.

This revelation floored the Hyuga genius. He was in love with his cousin and if they way she acted during the kiss were any indication, she was in love with him, too. And that scared the Jūken protégée more than anything in life itself.


	3. II TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES

Disclaimer: No owning Naruto or mesa Jar Jar Binks. Gosh, another Star Wars reference…

II. TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES- (I Fear the Greeks Even _if_ They Bring Gifts)

CVIVSVIS HOMINIS EST ERRARE, NVLLIVS NISI INSIPINTIS IN ERRORE PERSEVERARE "Anyone can err, but only the fool persists in his fault"

Hinata stood across from her father breathing deeply but in gasps as his mouth opened and closed in regular intervals showing her that he had a lifetime of training behind him where she only had roughly ten years and most of them had been spent doing only the most basic of Jūken forms. Hanabi, she noticed, was watching with rapt attention.

Neji, she noted, stood next to the gate with a dark glare on his face as she feigned to the right as she charged at her father. Hiashi saw through her move, though, and deftly moved out of the way of her blow. He spun on his heal and threw a blow of his own that just barely brushed against her arm.

She jumped back clenching her arm. Even the smallest blow of the Jūken could cause damage and she knew that if this battle continued much longer she would lose all feeling in her arm. She glanced over at her cousin again, wondering if he had any remorse for the Jūken blow he had landed to her heart. She took a deep, shuttering breath and faced her father again, knowing that he would not stop until she had collapsed or had landed a blow to him that would incapacitate him.

She slowly raised her good arm to defend herself but she saw something in her father's face change and he dropped into a relaxed stance. "That is enough for today, Hinata. Take care of your wound." He said as he turned and walked away, motioning to Hanabi to follow.

Hinata stared after them in shock, wondering at her father's sudden mood change. His personal guard followed after and soon the only person in the dojo was her older cousin.

"Hinata-sama," he said, moving so he was standing in front of her, the closest he had allowed himself to get to her after their steamy kiss on the training ground. "Are you alright?" There was true concern in his voice and Hinata couldn't help but look up at him and smile her innocent smile.

"I am fine, Nii-san," she tilted her head to one side as a impulse came over her, as if it had stolen power over her voice box, she found herself saying, "Would you help me train more?" His eyes widened and she resisted the urge to clamp her hands over her mouth. "I mean, if you don't want to…"

"Hinata-sama," he said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I do not believe that it would be the wisest course to take, especially after yesterday…"

Her eyes widened and she nodded, knowing that she would be tempted to kiss him again without being provoked. "Nii-san, why _did_ you kiss me?" She whispered looking up at him through her eyelashes, and though she didn't know it, seductively.

His face hardened and she thought that he might strike her and when his hand moved, she felt herself flinch; only, nothing hurt with his movement, instead she felt pleasure as his lips greedily pressed against hers. His fingers intertwined with her hair as her arms snaked up around his neck, their bodies pressed together as closely as they could get without connecting in the most intimate way.

Desire flooded her veins as he deepened the kiss and pushed against her lips with his tongue, something she had heard Sakura and Ino talk about before but she never thought that she would experience. His tongue inside her mouth was an interesting experience, not wholly unpleasant, but it felt _weird_ to her. Idly, for she felt as if she was watching her body and her cousin's engaged in these sinful pleasures, she wondered if anyone had seen them yet, and if they had, how long would it take for her father to come and activate Neji's seal and put her in a chastity belt.

The kiss deepened even more and then he broke the kiss and took several deep breaths. She tried to back away as she gave small gasps, trying to regain her breath, but his hand clamped on her shoulder and she found herself looking up into his eyes. She gasped when saw the look in his eyes, the unrestrained passion in them enough to scare her slightly. She rapidly tried to remember all Sakura and Ino had told her about when a boy looked at a girl that way and she remember a vague impression that a girl's first time hurt more than it gave pleasure but all thinking became very hard when his lips kissed hers fiercely again. This kiss was again only broken with the need for oxygen and then those now slightly swollen cherry red lips were pressing seductively against her neck.

She swallowed hard when they came into contact with the nape of her neck. Again she tried to remember what Sakura and Ino had told her one afternoon after they learned that she _still_ hadn't lost her maidenhead. It didn't matter that they were all only fifteen and a half, no, Sakura had some quick fling going on at that time with a boy that later ended up dead and Ino had somehow managed to get the village playboy into her bed. Both the blonde and the pink haired girl had gone into great detail about their first times, even going so far as to explain to the innocent Hyuga heiress what positions worked the best to get the most pleasure. Hinata had been embarrassed like no other by their talk and afterwards had promptly taken a long, hot bath in which she had scrubbed and scrubbed at her skin to get the guilt off of it even though she had never engaged in any of the behavior that her fellow kunoichi had spent the afternoon telling her about.

The usually timid indigo haired girl wondered what her friends would think about her current activities. Ino would probably give her the thumbs up then take her arm and start devising a strategy to get Neji into bed with her while her more practical friend Sakura would concern herself with whether or not she was up to date on her birth control and her general health.

Neji's lips moved back up to hers and kissed her hard before he pulled back and looked her in the eye. Her face betrayed her confusion and a grin pulled at the corner of his mouth as he quickly pealed her sweat-drenched shirt away from her skin. His lips came into contact with the sensitive skin of her chest above the bindings on her breasts. She stood with a frozen body as he made quick work of this skin but when she felt his fingers start to pull at the bindings, she pushed him away sharply. Her injured arm burned with the forceful movement and she opened her mouth in a silent cry.

She stood cradling her arm as Neji slowly backed away from her. She felt something land at her feet and looked to see her shirt there but when she looked back up, Neji was gone.

Neji marched into the branch side of the Hyuga Compound, glaring at everyone he passed. He was hot from the sexy make out session that he had just had with his _own_ cousin and now all he wanted to do was take a quick shower and relive the tension in his pants. He stomped into the room he shared with Hyuga Hanashi, some distant cousin on his mother's side.

To his bad luck the man was lying on his bed, reading a scroll. "You look like you have had a fun day," Hanashi commented, glancing at Neji with a grin. "You want to talk about?"

"Hanashi, die," Neji hissed as he started rummaging around in his drawers looking for clean clothes, hoping that the other man didn't see the excitement in his pants.

"You know, one day you will have no one and then you will wonder what happened. Of course, I will know and be laughing at you," Hanashi muttered as he rolled onto his side. "Say hi to Tenten-san for me."

"Hanashi!" Neji marched over to his cousin and forced the man onto his back so he was looking up at the Hyuga protégée's face. "What did you say?"

"Look, as much as you want to hide your relationship with her, everybody but _your _mother knows. Which is probably a good thing, considering…" Hanashi trailed off and looked at the Hyuga protégée considerately.

Neji stood across from him with his hands clenched and his mouth drawn into a snarl. "Hanashi, if you ever say _anything_ about this again, I _will_ kill you."

"Seriously, Neji, I don't care who you are sleeping with, just as long as you don't ever try and bring her here to do the nasty." Hanashi turned back to his scroll and ignored him the rest of the time his roommate was in the room.

Neji grabbed his clean clothing and marched to the bathrooms, wanting to get over to Tenten's as soon as possible; though he knew while he was coming down on her he would be imagining that she was Hinata and wishing that the moans and groans were in Hinata's sweet voice.

Hinata stood in the shower stall allowing the cold water to run down her body even though she was shivering. Neji's lips were still traveling over her body causing a rush of heat to her upper body, hence the freezing shower. The feelings that he had invoked in her were emotions that she had only been vaguely aware of before, something there but distant, just like he had been up until yesterday.

Another rush of heat came and she buried her face in her hands, not sure what had come over. Only two nights ago she had spent the night at Shino's apartment, two nights since she had made her feelings for him known, two nights since…

Had it really been only _two_ nights? The brief moments she had spent in Neji's arms _were_ short but they had felt like an eternity to her, an eternity she wanted to spend in his arms.

She shook her head at this errant thought, causing her heavy wet hair to hit against her skin like tiny whips. She continued doing this, trying to punish herself for betraying a truly genuine man like Shino for a few moments of sin with her clearly promiscuous cousin. Word of Neji's conquests had even reached her ears, even her, the sheltered, innocent, pure Hyuga princess.

Unexpectedly a clearly logical thought entered her jumbled and clearly overly emotional mind. Maybe her cousin wasn't acting on a purely teenage boy emotional rollercoaster; maybe getting her into bed was his whole goal from the beginning. She felt her face drain of all color, something that only happened when she was truly upset or afraid. The thought of becoming Neji's latest conquest left a bad taste in her mouth. All of the thoughts of the teenage girl's first steamy kiss left her head. She felt oddly empty but she knew that if she allowed a man into her bed before her wedding night, she would not only be disinherited, she would be tossed out of the clan altogether.

She dropped to her knees and braced her hands on her knees and started to sob, for her cousin that hated her, for her father that was disappointed in her and more than all else, for the fake life she was forced to lead to appease them both.

Hours later Hinata stood outside the dango shop, waiting for Shino to get there. Her long indigo hair was blowing gently in the wind, hitting against her bulky jacket. Her slender fingers were playing with the hem, the five layers she was wearing under the jacket making her overheat but she didn't care, she felt like she _needed_ the protection.

A sigh escaped her pale pink lips as she watched a young couple walk past holding hands. The man and woman were so enamored with each other that they didn't seem to notice anything around them. The man reached out and gently brushed his fingers over the woman's cheek. The woman turned her face toward his hand then smiled up at him, her gaze full of love.

Hinata felt a single tear fall down her cheek. Why could she not have a carefree love like theirs?

"Hinata-san?" Shino asked from behind her, startling her.

"Shino-kun," she exclaimed a little louder that she had expected while she quickly swiped the tear track off of her cheek.

The kikai bug master nodded his head in acknowledgment and then motioned with his hands. "Shall we?"

She gave a slight nod of her head and then smiled. "I would love to."

He reached down and took her hand in his and then pulled her out on to the road.

"I thought we were having dango?" Hinata frowned, looking back at the shop.

"Maybe later, but it is not healthy to eat snacks before supper." Shino said.

"I guess you are right," she sighed. She had been looking forward to dango all day, though.

The ended up at the ramen shop, how, Hinata didn't know but apparently Shino like ramen just as much at Naruto did. He had already eaten three bowls before Hinata had even finished one and Hinata didn't think that she would be able to eat anymore. She set down her chopsticks and was just about to offer the rest of her ramen to him when a hand darted out and swiped the bowl away. She opened her mouth to protest but then she saw the body that the arm was attached to.

"Naruto-kun," she sighed and then started giggling.

"Thanks, Hina-chan!" The blond idiot grinned at her. "I needed that. Ah, five and a half is just right," he looked over at Shino. "Hey, Shino! I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"Naruto," Shino sighed in his soft voice.

"So, what are the two of you doing?" Naruto said in his louder than needed voice. The girl behind the counter, Hinata noticed, was watching them with sharp eyes. "I should tell you about my latest training session! Pervy sage was like…"

"Um, Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered while Naruto continued his story, glancing at the girl. "Maybe you could be quieter…"

"So then I was like, 'Whoa!' and the perv was like, 'Naruto, you are an idiot.'" Naruto laughed then he fell forward when he was hit in the back of his head.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura yelled from behind him. "I told you not to repeat that story to anyone!" Sakura turned to Hinata and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry for this idiot."

"Sakura-chan, I'm not an idiot," Naruto moaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Clearly he is delusional. I take care of that," Sakura grinned, hitting him upside the head before grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

"Well, that was weird," Hinata muttered, turning to Shino and giving him one of her shy smiles. "Now what do you want to do?"

"The sun is setting," he said softly as he paid Ayame. "Sunsets are always beautiful from Hokage Mountain."

"Then we should go to Hokage Mountain," she smiled as they exited Ichiraku ramen. She allowed herself to reach down and take his hand in hers, something that she would have never allowed before but with all the changes in her life right now, she wanted and _needed_ stability.

Shino seamed content to just hold her hand, making no attempt at conversation as they strolled though Konoha. They passed many of their friends and fellow ninja, Ino was with Shikamaru and Choji at the barbecue shop gossiping her head off with anyone that would listen, Lee and Gai were walking around on their hands for some unknown reason to anyone but them, and the pale faced replacement for the Uchiha of team seven was silently stocking some random person.

They passed the old mission district, the Chinese lanterns glowing softly in the dimming light. The academy stood pristine in the middle of the district and when they passed it Hinata thought she saw what looked like her cousin's back following another person into one of the apartments given to the village orphans. Her insides twisted at the though that another woman would be receiving her cousin's favors but then she decided that she didn't care anymore, it wasn't like she was going to end up married to him and have his children, so why should she care who he was sleeping with?

She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts; she didn't care about her older cousin was doing and who he was doing it with, all she cared about right now was the fact she was with Shino, the teammate and best friend that she wanted to marry.

The young Hyuga heiress idly wondered what Kiba would say to the new development in his two teammate's lives. She had been vaguely aware that the Inuzuka male had had a crush on her for the longest time but she had never done anything to encourage him into thinking she wanted to be more than friends.

The indigo haired girl glanced at her companion as they made their way to the top of Hokage Mountain, wondering if he had thought about what Kiba would say also. Kiba and Shino were good friends and Hinata didn't want to drive a wedge in between them but she also knew that she didn't want to end up living her life alone or with someone she didn't love.

"It's beautiful," Shino said when they got to the top, gazing out at the pink and purple sky.

"It is," she agreed, tilting her head to the side so she could feel the breeze rustle her hair. "Very beautiful."

Shino glanced at her then muttered, "But not as beautiful as you."

"Did you say something?" She asked, glancing at him through the wall of her hair.

"No," he replied, giving her hand a squeeze before turning toward her. "Hinata," he whispered, not sure how a boy was supposed to act in this situation since he had never given much thought to girls and marriage before. "I…"

"What, Shino-kun?" Hinata looked into his eyes and frowned.

"I am happy," he said, turning away.

"You are not acting like you are." She frowned, touching his arm and turning him back toward her.

"I am," he sighed and then if on impulse, leaned down to kiss her.

She suddenly had another one of her episodes were she was outside her body watching it as Shino tried to kiss her. She saw what he planned to do a fraction of a second before he started to move and she turned her head to the side so the kiss landed on her cheek, not her lips.

She didn't know what lead her to turn her head but she felt as if she was betraying someone by allowing herself to get into this situation. As Shino gave her a respectful look she suddenly knew who that person she was betraying was and it left her sick to her stomach.

She felt as if she was betraying her cousin, the man that had stolen her first kiss and if the way he had kissed her gave any indication, he wanted to do more.

She felt like she was betraying the man that had once tried, and nearly succeeded, to _kill_ her.

Neji sat at the small table in Tenten's kitchen while he waited for her to get out of the shower, his eyes suddenly taking in a new picture on the wall. He rose to investigate and discovered that it was a picture with her parents that could only be a couple of days old. Her father, Xiǎo stood with his arm around his daughter's shoulders while her mother, Méizi stood almost a foot away from her husband and daughter, her lips pressed into a tight line.

An inscription was written on it and it frustrated Neji to no end to see that it wasn't in kanji but in traditional hanzi which he could read, but it took him some time to figure it out. He made out the characters of Tenten's name, Tiāntiān, as it was read in the land where her parents were born and the words wǒ ài nǐ wǒ de nǚ'ér, I love you my daughter, and her father's name but the rest was written in a way he couldn't read it.

"Frustrating, isn't it?" Tenten giggled from behind him. "Trying to figure out what it says. Father is always forgetting that I really can't read that. Maybe that is why Mother doesn't like me. I can't read what she writes."

"Maybe if they hadn't abandoned you to your fate you would understand more." The Hyuga genius muttered. "Their culture is so much different from ours. Why did they come here in the first place?"

"They wanted something better so they came here. Plus, they were feared because of their skills where they lived before." Tenten sighed, looking away. "And they didn't abandon me, exactly. I see them occasionally. Sometimes…"

"Jiànzhǔ Tiāntiān," Neji whispered her birth name in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. "You took too long in the shower. I was getting bored…"

"Neji," she giggled, unhooking his arms from around her waist so she could take a step back and look him over from head to foot. "You don't look bored to me…"

"But I am," he replied, reaching out to play with the top of the towel she wore. "Very much so. In fact, I think that I will amuse myself right now," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her toward the bedroom.

"I'm going to have to take another shower," Tenten sighed later that night as she curled up next to Neji and used his chest as a pillow.

"So?" Neji murmured, playing with a strand of her hair. When he made love with her was the only time he saw her hair down and while she liked to joke that he had longer hair than her, he knew that wasn't true. The umber river was soft and fell almost to her knees making it officially almost a foot longer than his. But it wasn't indigo.

His eyes widened at this errant thought, wondering where it had come from. Indigo? Tenten had never had indigo hair. Why would his brain think it should be? It's not like he wished Tenten was Hinata. Far from it. He was quite sure that he _hated_ his little cousin and if he was given the chance to kill her again, he was sure that he _would_.

Hinata had always been spoiled rotten; she had never had to stand up for anything she had done because of her royal birth status. Even her father who was clearly displeased with her didn't do anything about it, showing Neji just where the power in the family lied. It wasn't in the hands of the head of the clan, nor in his heiress or her younger sister, no, it was in the memory of his dead wife and since his eldest daughter looked like an exact copy of her, Hiashi was powerless against her.

He shook these thoughts as he continued to play with her hair, her _umber_ hair, content where he was but he could feel her stirring.

"Neji?" She whispered, pushing up on her elbow to look into his eyes.

"Yes?" He replied, not really wanting to have a conversation with her at that moment when he had just been thinking about the unpleasantness of his clan.

"Neji," she whispered again, pressing her lips together into a thin line. "Have you…" She trailed off, her eyes drifting over to the far wall. "Have you given us more thought? I mean, do you…"

"You aren't being very clear," he sighed, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He started gathering up his clothes and only had his shirt to put back on when she said, "Neji, do you love me?"

He glanced back at her with a frown. "What are you talking about? Our relationship isn't about love. It's sex only." His frown deepened while he tried to figure out what she was talking about but then she started talking again.

"While my mother was here, she reminded me that a woman is…" She broke off, a frown marring her brow. "For her husband only. She asked me if there was a boy that I liked and I told her yes, there is. She then went into some long speech about how a woman is to be above reproach on her wedding night. I laughed at that since she doesn't quite know just what type of missions kunoichi can be sent on but then it got me thinking." She looked up at him. "Neji, I want a baby," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders.

He sat there in complete shock, all brain activity ceasing, his shirt dangling in his limp fingers as he tried to grasp what she had just said. Baby? She wanted a _baby_? Not _his_ baby surely. He didn't want or need children.

"Neji, aren't you going to say something?" She said fearfully, knowing that he still have a violent temper when provoked.

"A baby?" He finally said, his face hardening. "What are you saying, Tenten? You know what I think of that subject." He stood and pulled his shirt on, his long sepia hair falling unbound down his back as he walked over to the door, knowing that he was about to have his first, and probably last, fight with her about this subject.

"But, Neji!" She called, running after him. "Why? Why!" She cried, grabbing his arm. "Why are we in this type of relationship then? Don't you want me? We go through the actions of making a baby almost every night! Why do we if we aren't going to have a baby?"

"Release," he said coolly, removing her hand from his arm. "It is a cheep form of release. A way to forget about the world for a short time. You cannot argue with that. You enjoy it when I touch you," he hissed in her ear. "You wiggle in pleasure under me and make moans that only a person coupled in the most sinful act can give."

"Neji?" She cried, reaching out for him but he turned away.

"I will not bring a child into this world, Tenten. Any child of mine would be feared and branded at _birth_. An infant cannot survive that ceremony, Tenten. To my four-year-old self it _was_ murder, I was sick for a week afterward, and I am never sick. Think of what the defenseless child would go through." He glanced back at her and then said something he had never done while he was leaving her apartment. "Goodbye, Tenten."

"Neji! If you are worried about what would happen to the child, we could move away for the birth! We could go to the village where I was born! There are always other options!" She cried as he pulled his shoes on and rested his hand on the door handle. "Please, don't go," she said softly, her vision blurred by tears. "Please."

"Goodbye, Tenten. It was fun while it lasted." He replied, opening the door and walking out of her life. "Yes, it was fun… But not any more."

Hinata lay in bed, tossing and turning, willing sleep to claim her but to no accord. To most, her date with Shino would have appeared to be perfectly normal, the chaste Hyuga heiress acting _exactly_ the way she was expected to. Protecting her body for her husband at every move, any action toward the loss of her purity blocked by many years of training by her crazy great aunt, but to her chagrin, she hadn't taken _any_ of these precautions when she had allowed Neji to kiss her.

Just thinking about the kiss they had shared the day before on the training grounds and then one they had that morning in her father's dojo made all thoughts of sleep escape from her brain. Her over active imagination started playing the scenes from yesterday afternoon and that morning over and over in her head and to her horror, she found herself imagining what would have happened after such a kiss.

Her cheeks heated up and she started feeling an ache in her lower regions, the desires that only a sixteen-year-old knew too well.

"No!" She gasped, jumping up and grabbing her shower bag. She didn't care that it was past midnight. She needed to do _something_ to take her mind off her cousin and what _might_ have happened between them if he hadn't of stopped himself both times.

"No, no, no!" She hissed as she stripped bare and dashed headlong into the shower. She turned it on and let out a small squeak when the freezing water hit her skin but in a way she was happy because it gave her something else to think about other than her older cousin.

But such thoughts didn't stay away very long and she started hitting her head against the shower wall, not caring who heard her and who might come to check on her. She only stopped when her head started hurting and then she started scrubbing at the skin on her arm until it was red and raw. When the pain from the loss of skin on one arm started making her see black spots in her vision she started scrubbing at the other arm.

"Why?" She hissed as she scratched at her arm until blood was drawn. "Why!" She sobbed, falling to her knees. "Why is this happening? I was _happy_!" She cried, upturning her face so the water falling down on her could cry for her since she didn't think she could cry anymore. "Why did you do this to me, Nii-san?"

Neji slipped back into the Hyuga compound, glancing around with his Byakugan to make sure that no one was around to see him sneaking back into the compound. He dropped over the wall and was walking over to his room when an impulse hit him and he turned toward the main house.

The corridors were silent as he moved through them, though he felt as if someone was watching him, and in the Hyuga clan with their Byakugan this was a high probability. He resisted the urge to activate his own as he stopped in front of Hinata's door. The announcement that he was to be her protector again made him more than angry, he had seriously contemplated killing his uncle for it but then he thought about how Hinata would take over leadership of the clan and that stayed his hand. Not in a thousand years would Hinata be ready to take over the Hyuga, not even if some miracle happened and she suddenly gained the knowledge _to_ lead the clan.

He shook his head and turned to go down a corridor that would take him by the main house kitchens. He figured that they owed him a meal or two for putting up with the stupid heiress and on his way he passed the bathroom that was reserved for the heiress and the heiress alone. He heard a sob from inside and was going to turn away when he heard her cry out.

With a groan he entered the room, the steam almost enough make him cough. "Hinata-sama?" He called, hoping that she was clothed.

"Neji?" She squeaked. "Don't come in!"

"Why, you doing something you don't want me to see?" He said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. When his question was met with silence his eyes widened. "What are you doing?" He asked, taking a step toward the shower.

"Go away!" She shrieked. "I, I, I, I HATE YOU!" She screamed.

"Hinata-sama?" He said in surprise. "What is going on?"

"YOU!" Hinata's head peaked out of the shower. "You. You are the cause of _all_ my problems! If you weren't here, I could be HAPPY! But no! Chichi-ue decided that poor little Hinata needed Neji to take care of her! But Neji hates Hinata," she whispered, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

Neji stared at her in disbelief. He had no idea that she felt that way, that she had such _passion_ in her. Slowly all anger he felt toward her melted away and he stripped down to his boxers and entered the shower, leaning down to pull her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. He sat back without a word while she sat on him in shock.

"Nii-san?" She squeaked, hyperventilating. "What are you _doing_? If my father saw us…"

"Then I would tell him that you were injured and I came in here to take care of you," he sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head. "What did you do to your arms?"

"I," she glanced up at him and saw that he was keeping his eyes on the far wall of the shower. "I don't know," she said lamely. "I guess that I just started scrubbing at them…"

"No, this is self-inflicted. What did you do?"

"I," she pressed her lips together. "You. You made me do it."

"Me?" He said in surprise, looking into her eyes in shock. "I haven't done anything to you in a long time…"

"Ha," she chuckled scornfully. "You haven't done anything lately. What about this morning? What about yesterday? What about the day before? What about every day that you've made me live in fear that you would finish the job you started in the Chunin exams? What about when you made me realize that, that, that…"

"What?" He whispered, tightening his arms around her. For some reason they moved on their own as if they, his arms, knew what she needed when his brain did not.

"That I love you," she said so low he couldn't hear, her eyelids dropping closed so she wouldn't have to see his face.

"What?" He prompted again, feeling at a loss. He wasn't sure how to deal with his cousin. With Tenten before tonight everything had been so simple. He had come over to her apartment, they had some fun for about an hour and then he left. He frowned upon Tenten trying to talk when he was caught up in carnal thoughts that sapped him of reason and logic and he had always left right afterward so he _wouldn't_ have to talk about what they had just done. But obviously it wasn't to be so simple with his cousin.

"I love you, Nii-san," she whispered, biting her lower lip. "I love you," she said again, looking up into his eyes so he could see the truth of her words. "I don't know how it happened, but it did. I fell in love with that once tried to kill me, and nearly _succeeded_. I, I, you are a man that…" She shook her head. "You tried to kill me."

"I know," he said, closing his eyes. Visions of that battle flashed before his eyes and no matter how much he tried to push them away, they came back even stronger. He _had_ tried to kill her and _would_ have if it wasn't for the Jonin intervening. Her heart would have exploded beneath his blow and that would have been the end of Hyuga Hinata. At that time he hadn't even though of the consequences to such an action. All he had wanted to do was to take care of the girl that was responsible for his father's premature death.

His arms around that girl tightened again, pulling her as close so he could to try and relieve the guilt he felt for his actions during the Chunin exams. "I never wanted you dead, Hinata-sama," he said suddenly. "I just wanted you to feel the pain I did. Even though you too have lost a parent, it wasn't because she was a slave to Hiashi-sama's will but because she made a decision to have Hanabi-san. She was not killed so your father could live on in peace."

"She did die for him though," Hinata sighed into his chest. "Everyone is bound to him. Everyone. We live and die by his will."

"And one day it will be _you_ that everyone bows to." Neji said dryly, reaching up and turning off the water.

"My father doesn't want me to be his heir. You know this."

"If he didn't want you to be his heir, he would have made sure that you were completely removed from the line of secession." Neji grumbled as he maneuvered to stand, still cradling her against his chest.

"You are right. If he had wanted it…" She looked away and pushed away from him, gently rubbing her upper arms.

"He may still..." Neji said, averting his eyes from her naked body. "Get dried off," he ordered, offering her a towel with his back turned to her.

Her fingers closed over the towel and for an instance their hands came into contact with each other. A small jolt went through her body and she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face to his shoulder.

"Neji," she cried. "Why is this happening? Why? Why am I falling in love with you? Why is my world turning upside down? Why do I love you?"

"Hinata-sama," he sighed, placing his hands over hers.

"Don't say it," she moaned.

"Say what?" He asked, slowly turning around so he could look into her face.

"My name like that. I am not higher than you. _I_ should be the one using a high honorific for you. Neji-nii is so much more talented than Hinata is. Hinata is weak, Hinata is stupid."

"No you aren't." Neji placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her. "_Hinata_ is not stupid or weak. She is strong."

"Why are you _lying_ to me?" She sobbed, hunched forward. "I know that no one wants me. No one! All they see is my looks or my bust size. They don't see _me_, Hinata, they see an opportunity to gain wealth beyond their wildest dreams, rule of the most powerful of Fire Country's noble clans and a wife that has a body that any man would covet, but they would never see _me_ as a person, I am just part of the deal."

"You are _not_ just part of the deal. You are your own person. You are _Hinata_."

She looked up at him, hope shining through. Her lips parted and she sighed, "Neji."

"Why do you tempt me so?" He hissed and then his mouth was pressed against hers. He wasn't sure who made the move first, all he knew that he was in heaven. Never with Tenten was a kiss as sweet and pure but still retain so much suppressed passion that made him want more.

He pulled away slowly, pressing his forehead to hers. "Love. What a silly concept. Only a fool would think of such a thing and only a fool would continually pursue it." He shook his head then planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go back to bed Hinata. I will see you in the morning."

"Yes, Neji-niisan," she said. "Goodnight."

The next day Hinata stood next to the gate of the Hyuga compound, watching as Shino walked away, his announcement purely unexpected but strangely expected.

Aburame Shibi had given his consent to allow his eldest child and heir to marry her.

She knew she should be happy and jumping for joy but somehow she felt as if this announcement was something that would pass. She didn't know why, but she knew deep down in her heart that she would never end up married to Shino, and that made her sad. Shino had been her best fried since she was put on team Kurenai. They had both been shy and didn't like it when they were called upon so a quick bond took place between them. Kiba always commented that they seemed to have their own language that they used when they spoke, mostly non-verbal communication and that infuriated Kiba the most. He was used to two overly loud women ordering him around at every turn, so when he was place on a team with two _silent_ people; he had a hard time adjusting.

"Aburame Hinata." She whispered, shaking her head. "That doesn't sound right." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "Maybe it was just a childish crush."

"You aren't silly enough to believe in childish crushes, are you?" Neji muttered from beside her.

"Neji!" She squeaked, jumping back a step. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," he replied, sticking his nose in a bouquet of flowers he held with a bored expression on his face.

"What are those?" She asked, knowing that they wouldn't be for her. They were for Tenten probably. Neji had been spending a lot of time with his teammate of late. Rumors had been spreading that Neji was sleeping with her to produce a child in case he died before he completed his conquest of the Hyuga clan but Hinata had never believe those rumors. If Neji wanted to take over the Hyuga, he would have a long time ago.

"Flowers." He replied, taking another sniff of them before holding them out to her. "Here." He said, waving them back and forth in her face so she could get a good look at them.

The flowers he offered her were a pale purple color, her favorite. She took them hesitantly, not sure if she should accept the gift. She glanced up at his face and saw that he wanted her to take the flowers and would not take no for an answer.

"Neji," she whispered, bringing the bundle to her nose and taking a deep breath of their heavenly fragrance. "Thank you."

He gave her a strange smile before nodding his head. "You are welcome, Hinata-sama."

"I thought you agreed not to call me that," she sighed, cradling the flowers in her arms.

"Maybe in private I can call you that," he said, looking away. "But you still are the Heiress…"

"Yes," she sighed again. "Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful. This was the first time anyone has ever given me any."

"It was?" He said his eyes widening then an uncomfortable look came to his face. "Well, I have to go. See you later." He gave her a wave of his hand as he turned away.

She gave him a soft smile, unfazed by his sudden change in behavior. "See you later, _Neji_."

Preview for next chapter, ABSOLVTVM DOMINIVM:

"_Why do people die, Nii-san?" She whispered, using the honorific that she hadn't used since their awkward alliance a month ago. When she asked herself why she had done this, her mind told her that it was easer to go back to when she was younger and death hadn't touched her yet._

"_People are born, people die," he said softly. "It is the natural order of things."_

"_Why?" She asked, longing for there to be no more death, no more suffering, no more _pain_._

"_Because that is the way it is." He answered dryly. "People are born to die; it is what they do with their life in-between that counts."_


	4. III ABSOLVTVM DOMINIVM

Disclaimer: Ha! What disclaimer? It ran away with Uruki! It though he was _hot_. (Cybercookies for all that can tell me who Uruki is;)

III ABSOLVTVM DOMINIVM (Absolute Dominion)

DISCE QVASI SEMPER VICTVRVS VIVE QVASI CRAS MORITVRVS "Learn as if always going to live; live as if tomorrow going to die."

The rain had started three days ago and showed no sign of letting up. Hinata watched it pour down behind Tsunade's head as she gave the Hyuga heiress and her Inuzuka teammate a reprimand for not reporting Kiba's injury to her as soon as it happened. The A ranked mission had taken longer than either of them had expected it to and now they were a week late in returning to Konoha.

Kiba's injury hadn't been life threatening but it had slowed the mission down so much that the client had complained to another Leaf ninja that had been in his town, hence the scolding.

Hinata had tuned the Hokage out at the beginning of the conversation and it was only now that she was ending it that Hinata started paying attention again.

"Hinata, Kiba, you are both Chunin, and you are both capable shinobi, but I cannot risk a mission like this. Usually I would not send Chunin on an A ranked mission but we are understaffed, again." Tsunade shook her head. "Kiba, get yourself to the hospital and get you leg looked at before it falls off." Tsunade gave them a sharp look before sighing. "Remember, that man likes to complain. You completed the mission you were assigned so, good job. Send Shizune in when you leave."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Hinata bowed her head then turned and walked away.

"I hope that Shino's okay," Kiba said after they left Hokage tower.

"He'll be fine. It's Shino." Hinata replied, thinking about her fiancé. He had already passed the Jonin exams the last time they were held so she was confident he was okay. "Hey, Kiba-kun," she bit her lower lip as she glanced over at him.

"Yeah, Hina-chan?" Kiba replied.

"What do you think about me getting married?" She whispered, bracing herself for the outburst that she knew was coming. Kiba had never agreed with even the thought that she might one day become someone else's bride so she started coming up with every defense she knew to off set him.

"To whom?" Kiba asked, keeping his eyes staring straight forward.

"Kiba-kun?" She stared at him in surprise at his lack of emotions. Was it because of his injury that he was acting this way? Or was it because he somehow _knew_ that she had become engaged recently? He once claimed to have a homing beacon set on her so maybe…

"I knew it was coming." Kiba bit his lower lip, interrupting her inner thought process. "So who is it?"

Hinata reached over and gripped his arm. "Kiba-kun." She sighed, resting her head on his arm. "I'm going to be married to Shino-kun."

"Shino, huh? That means that I still have a chance," he looked down at her and grinned. "No, what can I do to win you away from that buggy person…"

"Kiba-kun," she giggled in protest, happy that he wasn't upset with her. "We need to get you to the hospital. Tsunade-sama said…"

"Yeah, I know." Kiba sighed. "I hope it won't be painful."

Hinata had just gotten out of the shower, her only reward for a mission successfully completed, not even the nearly shadow like maid that dodged her every step there congratulating her; but she found she liked it that way, the endless questions could wait for another day. She wrapped her body in a white body towel, not bothering with changing as she opened the bathroom door and went back to her room.

Kiba's wound had been taken care of by Sakura; as soon as they entered the front doors of the hospital they had been accosted by the pink haired woman who had been so bored the last couple of weeks because she wasn't allowed to go on official missions now that she was the second in command of the Medical Corps. Sakura had been information starved enough that she had taken Hinata aside and badgered every last piece out of the indigo haired girl. Hinata hadn't been sure if Sakura was entirely there; the war that Konoha was currently involved in was causing everyone to be overworked and overly stressed.

On her way home she had passed the bridge over the river where Naruto's team always met with their sensei, Kakashi. To her surprise Naruto and the Uchiha's replacement had been there, both looking like they didn't want to be anywhere near each other. Hinata had glanced over at the blond whose greatest ambition in life was to become Hokage hoping that she could find him in her heart. She thought that she felt something but then it was gone and she didn't feel anything else. She paused in front of her door and shook her head. To think that she had once had a crush on Naruto, no one would ever think that was the case now days. Even _she_ wasn't sure who she liked and didn't like anymore. Certain actions by her cousin had her head spinning and the fact Aburame Shibi had given permission for her to marry his son made her confusion even worse.

As she opened the door she almost expected Neji to be on his perch by the window that he had taken too since her father's announcement but she remembered that he had been sent on a mission and no one was sure when he would return. With a sigh, she picked up her hair brush and started her nightly routine of one hundred brush strokes, something that her mother had drilled into her from her earliest memories, the one thing of her mother that she would never let go. After she had carefully completed her task, she went over and sat on the window ledge, not caring that she was still only wearing a towel as the likelihood of someone seeing her was very low.

She sat there for a long time, watching as the sun slowly sank below the trees, the sky painted pink and purple as the lazy clouds moved slowly across the sky, the darkness coming ever closer to the light, the long, lonely night starting to take its hold.

The indigo haired young woman pressed her head to the window frame, her eyes closed as she allowed her day dreams to take over. She had always dreamt of her wedding, it was something that every girl dreamt of and hers was always large and beautiful. Her father would proudly place her hand in her husband's, her mother would be gently crying, not because she was sad, but because her eldest daughter would soon belong to another man, and Hanabi, Hanabi would be grinning like crazy.

Everything would be perfect. She would be marrying the perfect man, her father would give his wholehearted consent, her mother would be the one helping her into her wedding kimono and her younger sister would tell her that she was the most beautiful bride that there ever was. Her wedding feast would have all her friends there, even Choji who would have special food prepared just for him. Ino and Sakura would be jealous of how beautiful everything was and would start badgering their boyfriends about how they wanted a wedding just like the one Hinata had been given. And her wedding night would be nothing short of a miracle.

Her husband would look into her face and know that she had saved herself just for him, like she had always been taught; he would have no fear that any child of their union would not be his. She would wake up in his arms with a gentle kiss to her brow and they would rise together and face each day of their lives together. They would have many children that would be well mannered and would achieve complete mastery of the Jūken by the time they were old enough to enter the academy. They would grow to be would renown shinobi that brought honor to their parents at every turn and when old age started to come, the children would always make sure that their parents would be well provided for.

She continued sitting there for a long time and it was only after she heard her slightly crazy great aunt, Kokoro, rising to get her nightly midnight snack that she moved to her bed, discarding her towel and laying down on the bed, her mind almost as dark as the night all around her. Sleep came slowly and when it did, her mind was restless, taking her from one choppy dream to the next, the only thing that made sense the intense need to run away from the hand that was always trying to get her, always trying to do unspeakable thing to her.

With a gasp she woke, her mind still clouded with her dreams, so when she saw a person standing over her, her natural reactions took over and she did the one thing that she had always been taught when a man was there and she didn't have a weapon.

"Dammit, Hinata!" Neji's voice grunted in the dark, the pain in his voice almost enough to make her want to laugh.

"What are you doing, Neji?" She demanded, sitting up.

"You need to come with me, Hinata-sama." He said. "Get dressed."

She stared at him for several long seconds before nodded. She rose and found a tank top and drawstring pants, quickly putting them on as she followed her cousin out the door. "What's going on?" She asked as she slipped on her shoes and pulled on a jacket, knowing that the predawn hours would be cool.

"Just come," Neji sighed.

Hinata glared at his back the whole way out of the compound and out into the streets, a frown making its way to her face when she saw where they were going. "Neji?" She whispered as he silently opened the door of the hospital. The look he gave her in return had her heart racing in anxiety. "Who is it?"

His eyes closed. "Hinata-sama, I don't know if you will be strong enough..."

"Neji," she hissed, anger coming to the surface. "If you didn't want me to know, why did you bring me here?"

His eyes opened and she saw the deep pain in them. "Hinata-sama, it's Shino. They say... They say that he won't last until sunrise."

"Shino-kun?" She whispered a pit opening in her stomach. "Take me to him." She demanded, clenching her hands. Shino? Please no. He couldn't be dying. If she lost him…

Neji nodded once and led her to a part of the hospital that she had never been in. Tsunade stood outside the inconspicuous door, her eyes watching their progress, but she didn't say anything.

Neji stopped next to Tsunade. "You go in, Hinata. I'll wait here."

Hinata gave him a blank look then nodded, her hand going to the door handle. The door swung open without a sound revealing a room with blank white walls and only a single bed. Shino's father, Shibi and his mother, Shiina, where standing on the far side of the room, watching as Shino's younger sister, Shiri held her brother's hand and spoke to him, telling him of all the things they had done and all the things they would do when he got better, not yet old enough to know of the harsh reality of death.

Kiba and Akamaru sat next to the door, Kiba with a lost look on his face, Akamaru's ears drooping, every now and again letting out a sad howl.

Hinata slowly approached the bed, her breath caught in her throat. She slowly reached out and took her fiancé's hand, pain and anger taking hold. She knew as soon as Shino had told her and Kiba that he wasn't going on the same mission as them that something was going to go wrong, but never in her wildest dreams, or nightmares, would she ever have thought that Shino wasn't going to survive his last mission.

Shibi offered her his chair and she sat down slowly, still clenching Shino's hand. She started blankly at the monitors he was hooked up to, her eyes seeing that he was barely alive but her brain did not comprehend it. The man lying in front of her had once been so full of life; he had inspired _her_ to live, but now only a machine stood between him and the threshold that can only be passed by once in a lifetime.

Shiri started to cry beside her and she wrapped her arms around the young girl, feeling helpless. She had been a year younger than the Aburame girl when her mother died but she didn't know what words to say in comfort now that they were needed.

The long hours of the night melted into morning then into afternoon and then again to evening, Shino's family never taking their eyes off of their son and brother so when he took his last shuttering breath, only Kiba had to be wakened. Tsunade came in as soon as she heard the machines start beeping in warning, but all she did was disconnect them, she didn't try to move him or make the grieving family and friends leave.

Hinata stared at the lifeless body, her mind blank. How was she supposed to feel? Even though she had known death in her short life, she still couldn't describe the emotions that she was supposed to feel at her teammate, her _fiancé_'s death. Shibi placed his hand on her shoulder and she looked up into the face of the man she had once hoped would be her father-in-law. She tried to give him a reassuring look but she knew she fail horribly.

Tears started flowing freely down her cheeks as the full impact of Shino's death hit her. Shino was dead and so where all her dreams. She might as well of been an empty shell.

Great sobs unsettled her small frame and soon she could barely sit upright as the force of her grief overtook her.

Shiina placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder to reassure her but Hinata's grief was so profound that she didn't even feel it. She wrapped her arms around her body as shivers ran through it. She rocked back and forth in the chair, her brain finally started to get past her denial to accept that Shino was gone and he would never be coming back.

Kiba and Akamaru where the first to leave the room; the Inuzuka boy muttered a half-hearted condolence before he left the room, his face as lifeless as Shino's. Kiba paused for half a second at the door and his eyes found hers. She shook her head slightly and he nodded. She didn't want him to stay if it was too painful and clearly it was.

Eventually, Hinata let go of Shino's hand, setting it gently down on the white sheets. She forced a sob back into her throat as she slowly stood and faced the family that would never be hers. She gave Shiri a hug and whispered in her ear that she was always close by. The indigo haired young woman nodded her head at Shibi and Shiina, sure if she spoke now she would start crying again. Shibi nodded in return before giving her a brief hug and releasing her. With one last glance at her friend, she left the room and what life she could have had, what _happiness_ she would have had, behind.

She found Neji leaning up against the wall, his eyes closed until he felt her presence. The silvery orbs opened slowly and gazed at her half closed, deep grief written in them, whether for Shino or the father he had lost Hinata wasn't sure, all she knew was she was glad he had come with her and waited.

With a small sigh, she walked past him and back up the stairs to the ground, her clouded mind only wishing for the blissful relief of sleep. Neji fell into step behind her as she retraced her steps back to the Hyuga compound.

She stopped briefly to stare up at the star fill sky then she entered the house, a sudden, overwhelming desire to be near her mother coming over her. Her feet took her down a hall long since out of use, to the room that held all of her memories of her mother, even if they hadn't happened in the room. She went straight to the mirror, taking in her reflection, the dead look of her eyes, the dried tear tracts down her face, the overall _helpless_ look on her face.

She hadn't been aware that Neji followed her into room until the door's lock clicked and he appeared in the mirror behind her. "Why do people die, Nii-san?" She whispered, using the honorific that she hadn't used since their awkward alliance a month ago. When she asked herself why she had done this, her mind told her that it was easer to go back to when she was younger and death hadn't touched her yet.

"People are born, people die," he said softly. "It is the natural order of things."

"Why?" She asked, longing for there to be no more death, no more suffering, no more _pain_.

"Because that is the way it is." He answered dryly. "People are born to die; it is what they do with their life in-between that counts."

"So you are saying that if you die tomorrow, you will accept it as your fate in life, that it is the day fate decided that you should die?" She asked without emotion, all of it had drained away.

"If I die tomorrow, I would wish that someone would remember me," he said sadly. "I would like to know that my life had meaning, if only for one person."

"If I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't care if anyone remembered me or not, because I know that they won't miss me," she murmured her voice catching.

"We are born to die," he repeated, his hand coming to her shoulder, brushing her hair away from it. "If I were to die tomorrow, I would like to know that I'll be remembered by someone and if you were to die tomorrow, I would like to think that I would remember you after you go."

"Death is a horrid thing!" She yelled, spinning to face him. "And yet, I find myself _longing_ for it. Is there something wrong with me?" She whispered.

"No," his eyes were downcast as he said this. "I long for death myself, but it will only touch those around me, it will never take me."

"We both long for death," she laughed. "Do we have nothing to live for? Are we so expendable? Are we not loved?"

"The Hyuga do not know love." He said in the same sad voice he had used earlier. "We do not have emotions. We are just killing machines," he spat bitterly. "Willing to sacrifice even our own brothers to accomplish a selfish goal. That is what the Hyuga believe."

Hinata gazed at him in surprise. She thought that his hatred of the main house had disappeared long ago, but it was clearly not the case. "You say that the Hyuga do not know love, yet your voice says that you know hate, which is just as strong an emotion as love. What a contradiction."

His eyes narrowed at her statement, a sudden, deep hatred flaring in them, his hands coming up on either side of her head, his body pinning her to the wall. "You accuse me of hatred then say that I love just as deeply. I think you are the one that is being contradictory, Hinata-sama," he spat through clenched teeth.

"Love and hate are the same, you just are looking at the two extremes," she hissed back, her hands coming up around his neck, her fingers interlocking with his hair. With another hiss, she pulled with all her might on the long, dark hair, rewarded in the fact she had pulled quite a bit out.

"By your theology, love and hate are the same emotion," he said thoughtfully, a devious look coming to his eyes. "So even if I tell you that I hate you, you would still not care? Would you think of it as a sign of my love?"

"I don't care what happens to me. My heart died a long time ago." She sighed, looking away but not adding the fact _he_ was the one that killed it to her sentence.

"But it still beats," he whispered, placing his hand over it. "Maybe you are still alive and just don't want to admit it?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to live anymore. Ever since my birth, my whole family has been trying to get rid of me, they just haven't had the occasion yet; but it is coming. I will be tossed aside for Hanabi. I will be forgotten."

"No, you won't," he said, his lips pressing against hers in a sudden movement that she hadn't seen coming and couldn't stop.

With a growl, she bit down on his lip, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth as he jerked back, a surprised look on his face. She had just lost Shino, the man she was pledged to be married to and here he had the gall to _kiss_ her?

"You are trying to keep what modesty you have left?" He growled, his tongue slowly licking the blood off of his bottom lip. "You are a Shinobi of Konoha. They don't have modesty."

"Even if I am a Ninja of the Leaf Village, I am still a woman, my body still pure." She responded, her mind starting to shut down in her grogginess, but the truth she tried to keep from her brain was the fact she didn't want to fight Neji, that she was willing to let him do as he pleased to her, finish what he had started that day on the training ground. It would be a slap in the face that the clan would never think she was capable of, something that she herself was unsure about, but one look into his eyes told her that it would happen whether or not she wanted it. "I'm tired of fighting, Neji," she sighed, closing her eyes. "I just want there to be peace."

"Peace is something that we will never see, Hinata." His eyes gazed into hers without falsehoods, a deep grief in them. "Innocence is just a dream that the old keep for the young. Death is horrid, but we are born to live and to create new life. It is the natural order of things." His hand slowly came up and caressed her cheek.

"I'm confused as to whether or not you are trying to be gentle or be cruel," she whispered as he placed a kiss on her forehead, his hands cupping her face.

"I am many things, Hinata, but not cruel," he said, his fingers working their way down to the zipper of her jacket. With a screech and a tug, it was laying on the floor, his lips exploring the soft skin of her neck and shoulder.

"Neji, I have one request," she moaned as he started pulling her shirt off, shivers going down her spine in anticipation, or fear, she wasn't sure.

"What?" He asked, his hands pausing in their movements.

"Don't be gentle and act as if I am a delicate flower that might break with the slightest bit of pain. Give me a reason to live again," she silently sobbed.

"I have never thought of you as a flower that might break, Hinata. I know that you are strong," he muttered as he kissed her belly button. "I will surely give you reason to live again."

She closed her eyes his fingers pulled at the draw strings of her pants and undid them, pulling them off with a swift movement that left only her underwear as a barrier between her and being totally naked. She bit her lower lip as his fingers started tracing the skin around them. With a quick flick they were gone and she was completely naked in front of him. She opened her eyes slowly and saw him staring at her in awe.

"It's not like I'm something special," she whispered. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you are special to me," he replied, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. "Hinata is very special to me," he whispered in her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. "She is beautiful, capable, wonderful," he shook his head. "Hinata, do you want this? It will be…"

"I want it." She said, touching his cheek. "I want," she closed her eyes, choking on a sob. "I want to be someone that someone else needs. I want to be someone that everyone can look at and see that I am not a failure to the Hyuga bloodline. I want to know what _love_ is. Please, Neji. Make love to me. Be my first."

She stared straight into his eyes, willing him to continue what he had started. He took in a deep shuttering breath before his lips parted and he nodded. "When you marry, what will you say?"

"The hymen can be lost in other ways," she chuckled humorlessly. "I'm a kunoichi. By that fact…It tore when I was twelve, while I was practicing the Jūken," she whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I thought that we were done discussing what is going to happen and were into it actually happening."

"You are a good liar." He chuckled. "Lost when training. Do you have proof?"

"Of course, because I am the Hyuga princess. I am above reproach." She smiled softly then pulled on his shirt, trying to act the way she thought a woman in this situation would act. She knew when Ino found out about this she would find fault with Hinata's actions, but right now, it _felt_ right to tease. "I find it grossly unfair that I am the only naked one here. I though that…"

"Humph," he made the sound in the back of his throat before he pulled his shirt off in a swift movement. His pants soon followed. "We can't ever go back," he said in her ear as he kissed her tenderly.

"I know." She pointed at his boxers, her stomach twisting together. Right now she felt more like throwing up than completing the act but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get out of it now that she had come so far. "What about them?"

"You are not easy to persuade otherwise," he sighed as they, too, landed in the pile of clothes on the floor. "This will hurt." He whispered in her ear as he gently picked her up and laid her on the ground.

"I wasn't lying," she whispered as he positioned himself over her, gently pulling her legs apart. "My hymen tore when I was twelve. There was blood everywhere and then Aunt Kokoro had to stick her finger up to see if it was really gone."

"I can believe that. Kokoro is crazy," he kissed her softly, and then he was inside her, causing her to gasp involuntarily. "Not as gone as Kokoro thought," he whispered as he pulled back slightly to look into her face. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lip. Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes and suddenly he felt like a true ass. Sure he had slept with several women, Tenten was not his only conquest, but this was the first time that he actually saw a punishment for his actions in his future.

"Hinata, I am sorry," he said, pulling away.

"No," she gasped. "Please, continue. I," she let out a sob. "I don't want to be that person anymore. Please continue."

"Hinata, you just lost Shino. You aren't thinking clearly." Neji shook his head in surprise. This was the first time he had ever regretted sleeping with a woman. But why was he regretting sleeping with _her_? He had tried to _kill_ her once upon a time and the actions he was taking right now could be considered a murder of a different type. After tonight she could no longer look a perspective husband in the eye and truthfully tell him that she was pure and only for him.

"If I'm not thinking clearly, it's already _happened_!" She almost yelled in his ear in desperation. "You, you, you already took it! I am not a virgin anymore. But neither am I a woman! You did not finish what you started! My first time is turning out to be very disappointing. Ino will be so dissatisfied when I tell her what happened."

"I will not allow you to talk to Ino about this," he hissed in her ear, suddenly angry with her. "If you want the full experience, you will get it, but I will _not_ be gentle. By the end you will be begging me to stop."

"I want pain," she whispered as he forced back into her and soon their union was complete.

Afterwards she lay in his arms, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, whether it be from the physical pain from the act they just preformed, mental pain from the shock of lost innocence, or a sudden realization that she was no longer able to call herself chaste, Neji wasn't sure.

"He's really dead, isn't he?" She whispered finally the actions of the night feeling more like a dream than anything else. "Shino's gone."

"Yes," Neji said, stroking her hair, her beautiful soft indigo waves. "Hinata, what are you going to do?"

"Do? Mourn his death." She shuttered. "I don't want to go to another funeral."

"I know," he sighed. "But that is not what I was talking about. You aren't on birth control, are you? It's probably never crossed your mind, has it?"

She gave him a long look before shaking her head. "I am. All kunoichi that have graduated the academy are required to get a shot and then they are required to get boosters but once they have passed the age of sixteen they can start taking it in pill form. Don't worry; no child is going to spring from your loins tonight."

"Hinata," he whispered, drawing her close. "Sleep. It will make you feel better."

"I don't think a thousand nights of sleep will ever make me feel better again." She whispered as he pressed on a certain pressure point on her neck. She let out a small sigh as her body went limp in his arms.

"Goodnight, Hinata. Sweet dreams," he whispered, holding her close.

The sun shining bright and strong on him was not what he wanted as he woke up that morning. He raised his hand to his face to block out the sun and then realized that his bed was on the _west_ side of the house meaning he _wouldn't_ be woken to sunshine, which he personally liked since he was not a morning person.

With a groan he pushed up on his arm, the fact he was _naked_ in a room he had never seen before with an equally naked _Hinata_ right next to him sound asleep not registering until he sat up. With a jerk, he ended up against a wall and one of his hands came into contact with the highly restricted but also highly desirable flesh on her chest. His face burned as he quickly withdrew his hand. This was the first time he had _ever_ reacted as such the morning after one of his conquests. He had slept with the niece of Fire Country's Daimyo under the ruler's very nose for crying out loud! Why was he reacting so by the mere _sight_ of his younger cousin's bare form?

With a violent shake of his head he jumped to his feet and started looking for his clothing when the knowledge of the room he was in hit him. He was in _Hiromi-sama's_ rooms. All the blood drained out of his face at the thought that he had not only _slept_ with the heiress of the clan, he had done so in her mother's _shrine._

With a groan he sat down hard, gripping his shirt tightly in his hands. Of course he had finally done the one thing he had always wanted to do by breaking the Main house, but he had never expected to do it in the room that was almost _holy_ in all the Hyuga's white eyes.

"Neji?" Hinata whispered from beside him. He shot her a look and saw that she had woken and had rolled over to her side and was watching him through half-closed eyes.

"What?" He hissed as he started pulling his clothes on. He glanced at her again and saw that tears had sprung to her eyes. She slowly sat up and drew her legs to her chest, staring in horror at the blood splatters on the floor.

"Why?"

The word went straight through him and pierced his heart. Why had he slept with her? It wasn't because he had had a taste of her on the training ground and felt the fullness of her breasts, nor was it because he had held her nude body close in the shower. It wasn't because this was his way of relieving stress from the never ending war he was fighting in with his fellow Konoha shinobi nor was it because he wanted to break the main house. No, he realized, it was because for the first time in his life he wanted to comfort someone. He shuttered at the thought and finished dressing before turning to her.

"I did what I did because I _wanted_ to. Nothing else." He said as harshly as he could so she wouldn't come back to him at a later date wanting all he had offered her last night again. He had laid his soul bare in front of her and she had stripped him of it while in return he stole her innocence. They had both used each other last night but he knew that he would recover from it a lot faster than she would, if she ever did.

"I see," she said softly, silent sobs going though her small form as he turned away from her and walked out the door. He wasn't sure where he was going but he knew that he had to get as far away from Hinata as he could so he wouldn't be tempted to do the things he had done again. He wasn't sure if her frail emotions would be able to deal with a second time, and the third, and fourth, and fifth, and…

"Neji-nii!"

He stopped and slowly turned to look at Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi who was skipping down the lane with not a care in the world.

"Have you seen Onee-san? I can't seem to find her anywhere." Hanabi shifted her head to one side just like her sister did when she was faced with a problem she didn't like. "Do you know where she is?"

"Hanabi-sama," he said, bowing his head slightly. "Hinata-sama wishes not to be disturbed. She is in mourning."

"Mourning?" Hanabi's brows drew together and Neji was sure she saw through his lie but she didn't call him out on it. "What happened?"

"Her teammate, Aburame Shino passed away last night." As Neji spoke those words an empty feeling took over him and he felt like a piece of his body had been stripped away, what was left of his emotions draining away to leave an empty shell. He turned slowly and started to walk away but Hanabi didn't like that.

"Where is she? I should be taking care of her!" Hanabi yelled after him with a dark glare at him. "Tell me!"

"She is in the gardens." He replied as he went around a corner and couldn't been seen by her anymore. As if a zombie had taken over his body he navigated the corridors of the Hyuga compound before stopping outside a house that had a well worn front door. Without a word he opened the door and went through and into the kitchen.

"Neji?" His mother whispered, but he didn't speak, he merely when over to her, buried his head in her shoulder and did something he hadn't done since he was four-years-old when his father died.

He wept.

The funeral was the largest in the history of Konoha. Even though Shino wasn't the only person to die in the latest skirmish, he was the one that almost everyone in Konoha knew and everyone would mourn.

Hinata stood next to Shiri as the Hokage called out the names of the deceased, her spot a place of honor as the spouse of the departed, a place her father hadn't been too happy that she was occupying. With all the uncertainty and upheaval that the war had brought she had not told her father that she had entered into a marriage contract with Shino because in the back of her mind she knew that something like this would happen.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, the sudden desire to be anywhere but there coming over her. Only a day ago she had entered into the most intimate embrace that a woman could with a man, but that man had not been her husband or even her betrothed, no, that man had been the village playboy. Even know when she thought about it she wasn't sure how it had happened, all she knew is that she felt _dirty_.

Her body tingled where she remembered his lips kissing the pale skin of her neck and chest and she flinched slightly as she remembered the overwhelming _lust_ that had consumed her when he kissed her. She jerked away from that thought and bumped into Shiri who looked up at her with vacant eyes. The young girl started crying and Hinata's heart cried out, but she knew she could offer no relief for the girl. Her place in the Aburame family had disappeared before it was created and now she was risking her place in the Hyuga as well.

As Tsunade's booming voice faded away she motioned the Hyuga princess forward to place her single white chrysanthemum wrapped with rosemary on the dais in front of his picture. When she had been handed the flower by Ino she had almost laughed. A white chrysanthemum with it's meaning of _truth_ was almost too much for her and she almost told her blonde friend that she couldn't accept that flower because it would mean that she would have to lay her soul bare. She would have to tell Shino what she had done with Neji. She would have to tell…

She shook her head and touched the frame of Shino's picture. "Shino-kun, I am so sorry," she said in a whispered that even someone with extremely good hearing would be hard pressed to decipher. "If you were still alive, you would have to forget about me anyway. Please, rest in _peace_."

She turned away and slowly walked off the platform and walked to the back of the crowd where she caught a glimpse of her cousin before he disappeared. She bit down hard on her lip to keep from calling out to him, the man that she was now bound to. With a sigh the Hyuga heiress stepped off the stage and away from the funeral even though it was still going on and would for a several more hours. She wandered around the village aimlessly not even looking to see where she was going. She ended up in front of the dango shop that Shino had never brought her back to even after telling him that they were one of her favorite snacks. She stared at the sign for a long time, wondering what had happened to her life. Only a month ago she was the high and lofty Hyuga princess that had suitors fighting each other to get to her father to ask for her hand. A month ago she had had taken her destiny into her own hand and chosen her husband without her father's knowledge and had been _happy_ until Neji forced his way back into the picture.

Neji.

The name that seemed to be synonymous with bringing her grief and suffering. The day she had met him she was kidnapped and her uncle sacrificed himself for her father. The second time she had met him had resulted in the worst beating that her father thought he could get away with without having his wife leave him with his only heir. The third time had been the day of her mother's death, the reason she had been with Hiromi that day was _because_ of Neji and the way he had treated her. The forth time she had been defenseless against her older and stronger cousin. That time she had suffered a heart attack and still suffered from episodes where it would be highly irregular or it would stop beating altogether for seconds at a time. After that her father had removed her from any contact with him if the Hyuga Head wasn't around but sometimes even then he would turn a blind eye to Neji's beatings. She had almost died several times for Neji's hatred and now he had managed to finish the job he had started when she was three. No, she wasn't dead on the outside, but on the inside she felt _nothing_. Not fear, not pain, not even the grief that her would have been husband was dead.

"Hinata-chan?" Kurenai said softly from beside her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Kurenai-sensei," Hinata whispered, staring at the woman that had taken the place of her mother. "I," she reached up to touch her cheek and found that it was wet but she didn't know why. "I am crying?" She asked, looking up into Kurenai's two toned eyes in confusion. "Why?"

"Hinata," Kurenai pulled her into a tight hug. "You lost Shino."

"Shino," the indigo haired girl repeated without emotion. "Yes, Shino is dead. But Neji isn't. Why isn't he? He was with Shino. Maybe…"

"Hinata?" Kurenai stared at her student in concern, wondering why the girl had suddenly started talking about her cousin that she didn't get along with. "What is wrong? Did Neji do something?"

"Neji did something," Hinata repeated as if in a trance. "What did he do? He's silly," she giggled. "He has long girly hair, he acts like he is _so_ high and mighty, he thinks anyone that isn't on his level is trash, so why?" She sobbed, burying her face in Kurenai's shoulder. "Why did this happen? Why did he _do_ this to me? Why did he leave me like this?"

"Hinata, what are you talking about? Are you talking about Shino or Neji? What _happened_ to you? Please tell me."

"Kurenai-sensei, please tell me that you won't ever tell anyone else," Hinata said, pulling back. "No one, ever."

"Hinata, you aren't making any sense. What don't you want me to talk about?" Kurenai placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Kurenai-sensei, I have become a bride," the Hyuga princess whispered. "But he is dead. I," she broke off and placed her hand over her womb. "It is good that all women are forced to take contraceptives. No child will be born."

"Hinata," Kurenai said in deep sadness. "You slept with Shino?"

"I am not sure what is happening with my life anymore. Who am I? Just _who_ is Hyuga Hinata? Is she even alive?" The indigo haired girl cried.

"Hinata, I know that right now it feels like you will be crushed under the weight of your grief, but it will get better. I when I lost Asuma…"

"You had Yumi-chan at least. I have nothing." Hinata stared into her sensei's eyes. "I am not _me_ anymore. I am, I belong to a _man_. I am not able to enter into a marriage contract with anyone now. I am _worthless_ in my father's eyes now. But he doesn't know that," she said slowly, raising her hand to her mouth. "He doesn't know anything about me. He thinks me to be a silly little girl that doesn't know how to use her body to her advantage."

"Hinata, you mustn't think of your body as such. You can't use sex in such a way without destroying yourself in the process." Kurenai reached out and grabbed Hinata's arm but she was shaken off.

"I don't know what I am doing!" Hinata yelled. "You can't _possibly_ know! You aren't _me_! How would you know what I think?" Hinata closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. "Don't ever talk about this with _anyone_. It is my secret. I am the one that has to bear the pain of my stupid choices."

"Hinata!" Kurenai called but the girl was already walking away, her head bent low.

"Why?" She cried over and over. Why had she allowed Neji to do that? Why had she gotten such _pleasure_ from her _cousin's_ hands touching her? Why had she betrayed her betrothed on the night of his death? Why was she never strong enough to deal with what happened to her?

Her mind soon disconnected with her body and she wondered around Konoha without thinking about where she was going. Soon she was standing in the training ground where she first became aware of Neji's intentions toward her. With a sob she fell to the ground.

She lay there a long time, even when it started to rain she did nothing. The sun started going down beneath the horizon but she didn't care. She just wanted to die, too. Neji had effectively stolen all desire in her and now all she could see was death.

Death. What a silly concept, she thought as she watched someone approach her in the gloom. Maybe this person would be willing to put her out of her misery, to stop her heart's hemorrhaging.

"Hey there, girly. What are you doing her so late at night?" The man's harsh voice assaulted her eardrums. "Do you want to have some fun?"

Hinata started blankly at the man. Fun? What fun? Life was just one great game that wasn't meant to amuse or be fun. But it still had to be played even if one was just a pawn, so when the man started pulling at her kimono, she didn't protest, she didn't even move. This man could have all he wanted; she didn't care. Her heart was already bleeding and nothing would be able to stop it.

"You are a fresh one," the man whispered in her ear. "Which house do you belong to? The red light district here is so much better than the one back home. So many woman that are more gorgeous than the last. Yes, Konoha was a good stop."

"Just get it over with," Hinata sighed, staring at the stars overhead.

"Hah, I can certainly do that…" He chuckled as he moved to remove his own clothing. His pants where down around his ankles and he was positioning himself above her when he gave a strangle garble and dropped, all two hundred pounds of him crushing her ninety-five pound frame.

"Dimmit, Hinata." Neji growled from above her. "What do you think you are _doing_? Don't you know what that man was going to do?"

"He wasn't going to do anything I haven't already experienced." She replied as she pushed the dead man off of her and fixed her kimono. "I wonder when I would have experienced that… Oh, wait. It was with you…"

"Hinata," Neji hissed, grabbing the front of her robe and pulling her face to his. "Don't talk like that. You are still the Heiress to Fire Country's most noble clan. I was given a job by your father to keep you safe from harm but that doesn't mean that I like it when you intentionally get yourself into these types of situations!"

"Why would my father want to protect his non-virgin heiress? It makes no sense." She sighed heavily.

"Hinata!" He growled and then he was kissing her, hard. Her body reacted the same way it had the night before last, an ache starting in the pit of her stomach and going lower. It was then that she realized what she had been trying to deny all along.

He had absolute dominion over her.

And she didn't care. In fact, she _wanted_ it.

Preview for next chapter called IN VINO VERITAS (In wine, Truth):

"_Why did you kiss me?" She cried, hugging herself._

"_Because I felt like it." He replied, looking away._

"_Why did you make love to me?" She whispered through tears._

"_Because I wanted you to see that not everything is fun and games." He hissed._

"_Then do it again," she whispered._

"_What?"_

"_Make love to me again."_


	5. IV IN VINO VERITAS

Remember friends, I take flames; if they are the Flames of Youth. All others will be deleted.

Disclaimer: Uruki, Uruki, where for art thou Uruki? We have dumped Star Wars for thy name…

IV IN VINO VERITAS (In Wine, Truth)

IN PACE, VT SAPIENS, APTARIT IDONEA BELLO "In peace, like a wise man, he appropriately prepares for war"

Neji sat staring into the small fire that had been lit for warmth even though they were only twenty kilometers from the border and the enemy. Rui was smashing around camp like a caged lion, every five minutes twirling around and giving him a glare that could kill. Ever since Shino's untimely death they had become a three man team with Rui being demoted from her position as squad head, making her already bad mood worse.

It probably didn't help any that she had been in love with Shino but he had rejected her advances flat out. Sai made a weird movement from across from them and Rui spun around and gave him her death glare.

"What is it?" She growled.

"They are on the move," he said in his monotone voice.

"Then why didn't you say so sooner?" She hissed, grabbing her pack and putting her mask back on.

"You were the one that seemed to think that making camp here was a good idea so you could light a fire and warm up our toes," Sai said dryly as he too, stood.

"Oh, yeah? You are the one that seemed to think that we should stock a bunch of academy students pretending to be ninja because the higher ups are running out of actual ninja to throw at us." Rui shot back.

Neji shook his head at his teammate's actions and reminded himself that he would be heading home at the end of this mission. He would be able to sleep in his own bed, eat food that wasn't cut up moments before with a kunai, see his mother and have her fuss over him, have some fun with Tenten…

"Neji! Did you even hear me?" Rui growled.

"What, Fox?" He replied, emphasizing her code name to remind her that she had just spoken his real name out loud only kilometers from enemy territory.

"We are going to move around to the back and see where this group goes." She said with a shake of her head. "Just listen better. I know you have extraordinary eye sight, not hearing, but lapses like that one could get you killed."

"Yes, Fox," the Hyuga protégé muttered as he followed his fellow ANBU. Rui might have been removed from her command post but by the way Sai was acting he didn't want to get in the red-head's way, either. So he was letting her call all the shots. Which, in Neji's opinion, was the worst thing that he could have ever done. Sure, Rui had been in ANBU since she was still in diapers and he knew that she was only a couple of ranks away from becoming one of the top three ANBU, but the loss of one of her new recruits was something that the higher ups couldn't over look so they gave Sai the job. And he was failing, miserably.

Neji glanced over at his male companion on this mission, wondering what went on in that generic looking head of his. Sai wasn't exactly know for being good at communication and more than once he had been beating to a bloody pulp by a certain pink haired medic-nin, but he was one of the Root and Neji expected more out of him because of that. But then again, most people were beaten to a bloody pulp by Sakura so maybe that tidbit of information wasn't something to base his assumptions off of.

He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts, knowing that if he didn't pay attention, he was going to get himself killed.

Rui motioned that she wanted him in front of her and then she slipped behind a tree leaving him and Sai to continue forward. They kept their course and were merely twenty paces away from the border when something happened that Neji never expected. Both he and Sai already had weapons ready and were both gathering chakra so they could attack when Rui jumped out in front of them.

"Stop," she said in her most riled up voice that Neji recognized as the voice she used only when she had received news that would make her want to start a war for the heck of it. "Apparently, the war is over."

"Over?" Sai repeated as he relaxed his posture, his tense hand falling casually to his side. "What happened?"

"I just had Shiranui arse in my face telling me that it was over and as much as I hate him, I tend to believe what he says since he has no sense of humor, so to speak. He said that some sort of truce was arranged between our "leaders" and theirs that lead us to this happy cease of action. Flippin' bastards," she growled. "Anyway, we can go "home" or to that place where we were raise and they have brainwashed us into thinking is our home."

"Wow, that was the longest string of words I have ever heard you string together," Neji said dryly.

"Oh, yeah?" Rui raised her fist. "I don't see you doing anything about anything. Oh, no, you just sleep around, pretending to love a girl and then when you grow tired of them you go on to the next younger and fresher one."

"And you are the one that sleeps with married men," Neji flung back at her, reminding her that she had been caught up in a very public affair with her former boss that had ended with him losing his job, her losing much of her credibility and the wife losing her life to suicide. "You know, it almost sounds like you are bitter because I have never slept with you."

"Do you really want to start an argument here, Hyuga?" Rui hissed with a glare, not at all caring that she had spoken his name again in the former enemy's territory.

"I think that it would be valuable to all for us to start our journey back to Konoha," Sai said, trying to remember what his books had said about failed love affairs. "One must admit to their mistakes and work to recover the lost trust."

"Shut up Sai," Neji and Rui said in unison, still glaring at each other.

"Okay, I'm going home though. You two can stay here and bicker all you want." Sai muttered as he turned and started walking away. He kept his pace slow so they could catch up with him if they wanted to but then they exploded at each other again. "Oh, it is almost as bad as having Naruto here," he sighed. "At least the pink girl isn't here…"

Hinata sat in the middle of her futon, staring at the far wall. She was trying to keep her mind as blank as she could and she wasn't aware that she had a death grip on her pillow that the was clenching to her chest, all she knew was if she stayed like that long enough, she wasn't able to feel the pain any more.

Bright white lilies sat on her dresser; put there by Hanabi the day after Shino's funeral; a way to insult her, Hinata was sure. Hanabi had been almost giddy the day after Shino's funeral when Hiashi had scolded his older daughter without mercy about how she was not the one that would arrange her marriage when the time came. Hiashi had ranted and raved for over an hour about her apparent lack of self control and how she should know that she was nothing more than a possession that Hiashi would sell to the highest bidder when the time came.

Hinata had felt like laughing the whole time she was scolded, her virtue and chastity no longer her own. She had stared at her father in deep though while he ranted and raved, wondering what he would say when he found out that she could no longer enter into a marriage contract with any one else other than Neji now. Not that her father would ever allow his firstborn and supposed heir marry someone that wasn't even worth of licking the ground she walked on, but she still did wonder.

Neji had tried to comfort her in the most awkward way she could think of, but it was theoretical comfort none the less, though she still even after having him away for over a month still left her breathless. His kisses trailing down her neck still sent shivers down her spine, his hands coming into contact with skin that had never been touched before making her stomach twist. For some reason, he had wanted her. Her, the girl that he had tried to kill not to long ago because she was born into the position he wanted. Her, the girl that had always been weak in his eyes; her, the bane of his existence was now only another one in a long list of girls that had thought that Hyuga Neji loved them while he stole what was left of their sanity and virtue.

She felt like the biggest idiot in the history of idiots, believing that Neji could feel something for her other than his hate. That night had just been an extension of his hate for her, his way to finally take away the last of her sanity, the last of her virtue in her father's eyes.

So why, if he had done all these horrendous things to her, did she still love him?

She felt her cheeks heat up at that thought.

How could she love that the self-centered, arrogant, cocky, smug, self-loving son of a…

"No," she hissed at herself. How could she think those things? That man, no matter how much he irritated her with his world that revolved around himself, was the man that held her heart in his hand. It was up to him what happened to it; she desperately wished with all her heart that he never let it go.

"No, no, no," she growled, forcing her way to her feet and stumbled over to her window. Neji was off limits; the most off limit person in all Konoha. She could give her heart to any of the other guys she had grown up with and it wouldn't be that big of a problem, but for the insanity that was her life, she decided that she wanted him. "Him! Of all people!"

She spun on her heel and started pacing back and forth between the window and the door. She started pulling on her hair as she paced. Maybe if she started acting more like the type of girl he liked…

"AH!" She dropped her knees, cradling her head in her hands. Why had he started consuming her thoughts? Why had he consumed her body? Why did he do anything? It made no sense for him to sleep with her unless… She looked up at her door, a sudden realization at his actions coming over her. He hadn't slept with her because he wanted her; he had slept with her because he wanted his child to be the heir of the clan.

His child. The worlds sounded so strange and foreign to her but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it. She wanted the child that Neji could give her. She wanted to be the mother to Neji's children.

"Nee-chan?" Hanabi called from the other side of the door. "Are you awake? Can I come in?"

"Hanabi-chan?" Hinata squeaked. Why was Hanabi here? She wasn't exactly the sisterly type even though Hinata had raised her as her own child. Even though she had only been five at the time of her sister's birth and her mother's death, she had still been the one that raise Hanabi. The younger girl had even called her kaa-chan, mommy, when she was younger. But in the recent months and years they had drifted apart.

"Hinata-neechan, you have been acting weird lately. Are you okay?" Hanabi called through the door.

"I'm fine!" Hinata gasped, glancing in her mirror to make sure that her hair wasn't disheveled before opening the door. "What do you need? Is everything okay?"

"You don't look so good, Nee-chan." Hanabi came forward until she was only a foot away from her sister. "Have you been crying? Your eyes are all puffy."

"What do you think?" Hinata said as she turned her back to her sister as she took a swipe at her eyes. Why did Hanabi have to be so observant? So she had been bawling her head off all day but that didn't mean that she had to point it out. "Shino's dead. How am I supposed to feel? How am I supposed to act?"

"Un, you would think that you slept with the guy by how you have been acting." Hanabi rolled her eyes. "You really did love him, didn't you?" Hanabi frowned, the concept strange to her. The Hyuga didn't know love and for someone of the entirely emotionless family to show that she did know that feeling was something that the younger girl never had experienced and didn't think that she ever would.

"Hanabi," Hinata sighed, wrapping her arms around her sister's smaller frame. "When you are old enough to experience what love is then you will be able to know how I feel. Shino's death…" She broke off, not sure how to continue when it wasn't Shino she had loved, or at least she hadn't been in love with Shino at the end. "I don't ever want to experience the death of a loved one ever again."

"Nee-chan, you are sooo dramatic." Hanabi rolled her eyes again. "Anyway, Chichi-ue is looking for you, or he was. You should go."

"I will," the indigo haired young woman said softly, not sure if she wanted to face her father again after his last scolding. "Do I look okay?"

"You look fine," Hanabi shook her head. "Go."

"I'm going," Hinata forced a laugh as she went out the door.

"Chichi-ue?" Hinata called as she knocked on his door.

"Come in, Hinata." Hiashi called. Hinata placed her hand on the opening of the door and slid it open to reveal her father's office. She had only been there a handful of times in her short lifetime, and every time she did enter it she felt as if she was the smallest insignificant piece of dust scraping over the ground.

"What did you wish to see me for?" Hinata whispered, keeping her head down so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes.

"I have taken it upon myself to arrange a suitable match for you to make with another clan." Hiashi said as he shuffled papers around on his desk, ignoring his daughter. "You will be wedded to Shijimi Shiguru at the end of the month. Make the appropriate measures. You are dismissed."

Hinata stood with her mouth wide open, staring at her father. Shijimi Shiguru? The crown prince of Fire Country? What was Hiashi thinking? There was no way that she would marry such a man as that, not in a million years.

"Chichi-ue, when?" Hinata whispered. "When did this happen?"

"You will do as you are told, Hinata. It doesn't matter when these arrangements were made. You may go." Hiashi replied without looking up.

"But…"

"Leave Hinata," Hiashi growled, glaring up at his firstborn.

"Yes, sir," she said meekly as she turned and walked out the door. Shijimi Shiguru. She was going to be the wife of Shijmi Shiguru. She shook her head. It didn't seem possible that she was going to be the wife of a man like that.

She wandered the halls aimlessly, her fingers trailing over the walls. Several servants passed her and asked her if she was okay but she ignored them, off in her own world. Why was he making her do this? He knew full well that she had vowed on her mother's grave to never enter into the type of marriage that Hiashi had forced on Hiromi. Hiashi had loved his wife at first, but as time went on and she never gave him a live son, his love grew cold.

Hiromi had lived with the disappointment of having a father that would rather go out with his mistress and gamble, but never once had she complained about her life, not once even when she lay dying because she had given birth to soon and caused a tear inside her that lead to hemorrhaging and death. Everyone expected the five week early Hanabi not to survive but by some miracle she did. Somehow the small, wrinkly, genuinely ugly baby had survived her first night, and then her second, and her third, she had suckled when Hinata had offered her a bottle, she had continued living despite everyone saying she was going to die.

Hanabi had fought for her first breath and had been fighting since. She was the one that deserved to rule the clan. Hanabi was the second child but she was the one that had inherited the power and strength of the Hyuga. Hanabi should, Hanabi should, Hanabi should…

"Haha-ue said she didn't want us to be rivals," Hinata whispered, clenching her hands to her heart. "Hanabi can be heir. I don't want it." She closed her eyes and saw her mother's smiling face the day before she died, happy that she and her husband had such a wonderful daughter. "Haha-ue," the indigo haired girl whispered. "It has been so long since I've seen you. I am sorry. I will make amends right now."

She turned on her heal and walked away, heading for the open village beyond the compound. Her feet took her to the shop she wanted and soon she was engaged in some pointless conversation with Ino while the blonde wrapped the dozen white roses for Hinata.

"…And then Choji ate the last of the meat and didn't apologize. What type of teammate is he, anyway? Selfish pig," Ino muttered.

"Kiba-kun would do the same," Hinata said softly as she paid for the flowers.

"Men," Ino sighed. "Can't live with them, can't live without them. The ultimate paradox. Now, if Shikamaru wasn't so gosh-dang lazy, maybe something could be going on…" Ino glanced over at her friend. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. You don't have to understand."

"Um, thank you for your help," Hinata whispered, looking away so her friend wouldn't be able to see her bright red cheeks. The indigo haired young woman had been well aware of what Ino was suggesting; she had experienced it herself, but she wasn't going to tell the blonde that. Secrets weren't secret very long in Yamanaka Ino's hands. "I must be going. I will see you later." Hinata bowed her head.

"Yeah. See you later, Hina!" Ino waved as Hinata exited the flower shop.

"Ino," Hinata shook her head, thinking about how silly her friend was. "Oh, well. Time to go see Haha-ue."

The Hokage didn't seem to be amused at Rui's report, but than again, she was rarely amused at anything. She seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face from dealing with the village idiot that also happened to be the most powerful of all the ninja in the village.

"Rui, you are aware that you were taken out of the line of command," Tsunade sighed as she glanced over the report again. "So why are you writing the mission reports?"

"Because Sai is a worthless idiot and Neji thinks with something that is not his brain," Rui replied, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "If I didn't do it, who would?"

Tsunade started massaging her temples. "So you just decided to do it. Rui, do we have to go over the chain of command again?"

"That won't be very productive," Neji muttered as he glared at the window over Tsunade's shoulder, wishing he could leave.

"Do you have something to add to the conversation, Hyuga?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow at her but he shook his head. "I didn't think so. Now, Sai, Neji, you can leave. Rui, you and I are going to have a long talk about just what exactly you are supposed to do. And I will hear no arguments. This is not debatable. Dismissed."

"Rui's going to get it," Neji murmured to Sai as they left the office.

"I do not believe that the Hokage has enough time to reprimand her so she is just going to let her off with a warning, though, it has been my experience, it is not a good idea to argue with a strong woman. They usually beat you up for it." Sai said as they got to the stairs leading to the ground.

"Yeah. Rui is mostly bark compared to her sister," Neji sighed, remembering the last time he had gotten into a full out argument with Tenten. Many weapons had been summoned and Neji had been forced to do the Kaiten to save himself; right in the middle of her apartment. The landlord had not been too happy about that one. She had been evicted the next day after depleting her savings account to pay for the damage.

"Well," Sai said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I was told that I need to go see Naruto and make sure that he hasn't been killed by the pink haired wonder. Apparently they were training together today and Hatake-san doesn't want to check on Naruto."

"Hn," Neji snorted. "Sounds like that lazy teme." He watched as his plastic faced ANBU teammate walked away, wondering if Sai had a different expression he could wear. "Probably not," Neji sighed as he slowly walked down the street, going in the general direction of the Hyuga compound.

He walked passed Yamanaka flower shop and saw a head of indigo hair at the counter. "Hinata," he whispered, all blood draining from his face. He hadn't expected to face her so soon after getting back from his mission. They had so much that they needed to discuss or rather, he had some serious begging of forgiveness to do. If she had told Hiashi what he had done… Neji swallowed hard and unconsciously touched his headband. His curse had only been activated once in his life but at that time he had felt as if he was going to die. He wasn't willing to feel that way again so he turned quickly away from the flower shop and went down a side street that lead him straight to Tenten.

"Neji?" Tenten called from across the street, waving her arm at him. He glanced at her and was seriously tempted to blow her off and go home to take his shower and hide from his main house relatives, but then he saw the person she was standing with.

"Tenten," he greeted with a false smile as he crossed the road. A woman with her hair tied up in a bun on the back of her head stood next to his teammate and Neji was genuinely surprised to see that it was Tenten's mother standing there. "Méizi-san," he greeted.

The woman gave him a harsh look before turning to her daughter. "Tiāntiān, please find your father."

"Yes Mother," Tenten smiled before rolling her eyes at Neji and skipping off.

"Hyuga Neji," Méizi gave him a long hard look. "You hurt my daughter. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Méizi-san, I have no excuse." Neji bowed his head, figuring that the woman would be less harsh with him if he acted as if he was sorry.

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Méizi's brown eyes bore into his white ones.

"I," Neji frowned, suddenly angry with the woman. "What do you want me to do? I broke it off because Tenten was being unrealistic. I don't see our relationship ever recovering, either."

"You break a woman's heart and then are unapologetic. How very Hyuga of you." Méizi's eyes were disappointed as she gazed at him. "The Hyuga do not know how to act around normal people. My daughter is not an object to toy with then toss aside when you feel like it. She has feelings just like every other human. Think of that the next time you are with her."

"Méizi-san," Neji frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but Tenten and her father appeared behind her. "I will think about your words, Méizi-san." He said as Tenten and Xiǎo reached them.

"Mother, you did not give Neji a lecture, did you?" Tenten frowned at her mother. "Please tell me you didn't."

"Of course not, Tiāntiān. We were merely talking about how the sun is shining so warmly today." Méizi said dryly.

"I can tell you are lying," Tenten sighed, looking away. "Hey," she said, perking back up. "Hinata-chan!" She waved at the indigo haired girl who had an armload of flowers, motioning for her to join the group.

"Hinata-sama?" Neji whispered, paling slightly. Why did Hinata have to choose this street to go down? Out of all the streets in Konoha! Why couldn't he just ignore her?

"Tenten-san, Neji-niisan," the Hyuga heiress greeted as she stopped next to them, not looking at Neji.

"Hinata-chan," Tenten gripped her arm tightly. "I have been looking all over for a pale lavender obi and then a haori that has sakura over it. Ino seemed to think that you had them…"

"Yes, I do." Hinata dipped her head. "Would you like to borrow them?"

"Could I?" Tenten's eyes lit up as a large smile came to her face. "Hinata-chan, I am forever in your debt."

"Tenten-san," Hinata blushed, looking away. "They are just clothing. Not something so extraordinary."

"They are pure silk, aren't they?" Tenten cocked her head to the side. "I'll take extra good care of them?"

"Oh," Hinata looked away, clearly uncomfortable. "Yes, they are pure silk. Um, please come by later. I will have them wrapped and ready."

"Hina-chan!" Tenten squealed, hugging the younger woman. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Tenten-san," Hinata giggled. "Please do not crush my flowers."

"Oh, sorry. What are the flowers for?" Tenten asked as she pulled back.

"They," Hinata's brow drew together. "They are for my mother."

"Oh," Tenten's eyes dimmed slightly. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." Hinata tried to give a brave smile but she wasn't so sure she succeeded. "I will be going now. Goodbye, Tenten-san, Nii-san, oba-san, oji-san." She said, still ignoring Neji.

"Nii-san?" Xiăo frowned as the indigo haired girl walked away.

"My cousin." Neji replied.

"What happened to her mother?" Xiăo asked.

"Hiromi-sama died when Hinata-sama was five." Neji replied with a sigh. "I should probably follow her. She has been acting strange lately."

"Then go," Tenten gave him a smile. "Mother, father, and I were just going to go over to the BBQ place if Choji has left any meat…"

"Not usually," Neji said with a chuckle. "I will see you later, Tenten, Xiǎo-san, Méizi-san."

"'K. Bye Neji," Tenten called, waving at him as she turned and walked away with her parents, looking happier than Neji had seen her in a long time.

"Bye, Tenten," Neji said, the last pieces of their relationship dissolving and disappearing.

Neji walked slowly though the graves of his relatives, not looking at any of the head stones. The depressing atmosphere of the cemetery almost made him want to run back to Tenten's arms right then, but there was another woman that needed him right now and he was determined to talk to her even if it was uncomfortable and might get his curse activated until his body was ready to join the countless graves.

The main family graves were wider spaced than those of the branch house, something Neji noted with distaste. Wasn't all the Hyuga one family with one common ancestor? Why was there such segregation? He gave a deep hiss in the back of his throat as he purposely stepped on flowers that were placed on a grave as he spotted a head of indigo hair.

"You shouldn't be out here all alone." He said as he came up behind her. "Someone might see you and that will be the end of Hyuga Hinata."

"If that is my fate, I do not worry about it." Hinata replied, raising a rose to her nose and taking in its delicate scent. "Isn't that true? Aren't you the one that believes in fate?"

"You are being very sarcastic for a young woman that doesn't usually raise her voice above a whisper." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

"Sarcasm you say? I would not know what you are talking about." She said as she placed the rose on top of the bundle. She placed her hands together and bowed her head, her mouth moving in silent words.

"Fine, I don't care what happens to you," he growled turning and walking away. He followed the path back toward Konoha, the graves of branch servants stretching out in front of him, his father's grave among them.

Despite being the son of the head of the Hyuga, Hyuga Hizashi had been reduced to life in the branch house because of his birth order. Every second and subsequent son born in the main Hyuga house was placed in the branch house, no exception. Daughters had a better fate, if they made it for themselves. Daughters were not branded at four like second sons were; they remained in the main family until a marriage could be arranged with the first son of another main house member. If one could not be found or the girl gave her love to a branch member they were removed but a majority of women born into the main house remained there their whole life.

"Hyuga," Neji hissed as he stopped at his father's grave. "What a horrid word."

White lilies lay in front of the name, reminding him that he hadn't been to his father's grave in several months. "Did you do this?" He growled, turning to look at his younger cousin that had come up behind him.

"Yes." She stared into his face with a sad look.

"Why? Why did you bother with a branch servant?" He hissed, swiping up the flowers and crushing them in his hand.

"He was my uncle. Family is important, no matter what they say. We are of the same flesh." The indigo haired girl sighed heavily. "He is my uncle."

"Fuck you, Hinata!" He growled, grabbing the front of her jacket. "Are you trying to get me pissed?"

"You already did me," she whispered, her face blank.

"Shit," he growled, forcing her away. She stumbled backward before her foot hit a grave stone and she fell. "You! It has always been because of you! He died because of you!"

"What do you want me to do about it?" She yelled. "I was three. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know that someone was going to die!" She drew her knees to her chest. "I was three."

"You know what, just, just," he shook his head and walked away. "Disappear."

"You look like shit."

"Hanashi, if I wanted a running commentary on my life, I would hire someone else to do it." Neji muttered as he pulled out a clean yukata.

"So, how did it go with the spawn of the devil herself running around with you?" Hanashi chuckled as he pulled out a book and flipped to a page. "I even made a drawing of it."

"Hanashi, how old are you?" Neji questioned as he finished gathering his shower supplies. "Three?"

"Four." Hanashi grinned as he stood up. "So why did you break up with Tenten? You have been in a horrible mood ever since. Though I can kinda guess why. It must have been good sex."

"Please, go around telling everybody who I have slept with," Neji growled. "I would love to see the look on my mother's face when she finds out. I'm sure she always wanted this for me."

"Neji, I'm going to say something that you probably have never considered: you try to hard to impress people that don't need that. If you keep playing the game that the main house came up with, how will you ever escape it?" Hanashi gave a wry chuckle. "I know, I know, I just used up my entire months worth of actual thought process, but you needed it more than someone else."

"Hanashi," Neji sighed, closing his eyes. "Thanks."

"I always knew that you liked me," Hanashi cried, dancing around the room. "We shall be best friends always and forever! What joyfulness!"

"Hanashi, you had to go and ruin the moment." Neji muttered as he left his room. He skirted around the bathrooms that the branch house used, deciding to add insult to injury by using Hinata's personal shower in her room.

No one in the family challenged him as he made his way to the heiress's rooms; no one would even if they wanted to. Hiashi had made it clear that he was to protect the heiress and if he was seen going into her rooms, who were they to question it? He activated his byakugan, even though it was forbidden in the house, to make sure she wasn't in there and when he was satisfied that she wasn't in them, he entered.

The shower was hot, almost scalding and it felt so good. The water in the branch house never got above slightly warm so truly hot showers where few and far between. The hot water beating down on his head allowed him to replay his harsh words to Hinata and mentally beat himself up over them. How could he be so harsh to his little cousin? She had never done anything to him other than try to be friendly. She always gave everything she had and asked for nothing in return. She had always been there when he needed something, she had always been willing to help him and yet he had betrayed her every trust. He had taken from her the one and only bargaining chip when it came to her future. Even now he wasn't sure how his carnal desires over came his usually clear logic and reason. She had been there always and he had betrayed her.

With a groan he turned off the water and toweled off, wrapping it around his waist so he could exit the bathroom and face the woman whose life he had destroyed.

So he was in her room. That was a truly shocking development considering not twenty minutes ago he had told her to disappear. Hinata shook her head at the irony. Only Neji seemed to be capable of being a walking contradiction for more than a day. His total was close to twenty, she decided as she entered her room. Steam from his shower left a sauna-like environment and she was soon she was stripping off her jacket and pants so she was left in a tank top and her underwear. A quick look through her drawers found a pair of shorts and she pulled them on and soon she heard him turning off the shower.

Panic seized her and suddenly being here, confronting him wasn't such a good idea. The door opened and he stepped out wearing only a towel. She took an involuntary step backward and bit her lower lip.

"Neji?" She finally whispered hesitantly, staring at his bare back as he pulled on a yukata.

"What is it, Hinata-sama?" He asked softly, careful to keep his glance back at her off her face.

"Do you still believe that we are born to die?" She managed to choke out as she twisted the hem of her shirt.

"I don't know," he replied, his eyes closing in thought. The innocent look on her face was enough to drive him over the edge of his self control but somehow he stayed where he was.

"Neji, why did you…" She trailed off, not sure how to phrase her next sentence as she bit down on her lower lip.

"Why did I what?" He asked, a frown coming to his face. "Do not stutter, Hinata. It makes you look weak."

She winced at his harsh tone. "Why did you look at me with such passion that night?" She cried. "Why did you do those things to me if you were just going to take them back and act like they never happened? Why?" She tried hard to keep the tears from falling down her face but failed.

He continued to stand there, ignoring her as she sobbed, no emotion showing on his face.

"Hinata, you do not understand my reasons." He said as he finished dressing and went to the door.

"Then what where they?" She yelled, clenching her fists. "Getting the genes of the Branch house into the next heir? Impregnating me? Disgracing me before the family? Tell me, Neji!"

"No. None of those were my intentions." He turned slowly and walked back to her, his arms coming up on either side of her, forcing her against the wall. "My intentions were to make you see how naïve you are, how silly your thoughts on the world. No one can have a heart so pure, so carefree when they are the reason a good man died."

"I thought that you had forgiven that sin, that my body was payment for it," she growled.

"Never think of your body as payment for anything," his hissed back, kissing her lips hard. "A woman should guard her body for her beloved, the one she will spend the rest of her life with, not give it to any man that grabs her fancy."

"I have saved myself for my beloved. I will let no one but you touch me in that way, Neji." She whispered. "Call me naïve if you want but I will be faithful to you, and only you." She reached up and touched his cheek gently. "Neji, please show me why I am alive and give me reason to live, just one last time. I do not care if you toss me aside again."

Neji released a long suffered sigh. "And I thought that my cool treatment of you would stop you from wanting that again. Do you know how many nights I have lain awake, thinking about you? It has been hard to ignore you for this last several days, especially since I know exactly what you would do if I touched your body, how you would give a small moan as the pleasure washes over you. You have me captivated, Hinata, and only you can set me free. I will always be yours, if you will always be mine." His lips caressed hers again with more urgency, his hips grinding into hers.

With a growl he pulled away from her and swept her onto the ground, coming back down on top of her. Hinata closed her eyes, knowing what was going to happen next though she still felt her body tense in anticipation and slight apprehension. His hands roamed over her body, his breath coming out in small gasps as his mouth worked its way over her skin.

"Neji," she whispered, her back arched in pleasure, the question on the tip of her tongue likely to bring the end of the sinful activity they were engaging in. "Do you want to be a father?"

His mouth stopped caressing the skin of her neck as he considered her question. "Yes," he finally answered with a small smile.

"Why?" She asked, for the first time in weeks hopeful.

"Because it is the guarantee that I will be immortal; a child is the embodiment of that desire that all mankind has, the desire to be immortal," his eyes became heavy lidded as he thought about the possibilities of a child. "Yes," he finally whispered. "I want to be a father."

"Will you be the father of my child?" She asked, closing her eyes.

"When that time comes, yes," he said as he gently kissed her.

"Good," she giggled as he kissed her neck then started going lower, his fingers expertly undoing the button of her shorts.

She finished brushing her hair and wrapped a tie around it at the nape of her neck. A smile came to her face as Neji's arms sneaked around her waist and his lips pressed against her bare shoulder.

"What do you want to do now?" He asked, gently nibbling at the sensitive flesh.

"I want to go out," she sighed, reaching up and entwining her fingers in his hair. "You going out in a yukata?"

"I don't want to go back to my room and face Hanashi again." He muttered, tugging at the fabric of her tank top. "You should put on a yukata, too."

"Fine. Which one?" She asked as she tossed her clothes away.

"The blue one. It complements your hair." He grinned. "Where are you planning on going out too?"

"I was thinking that we could wander around the shopping district. There is always good food over that way." She glanced up at him. "Help me tie the obi? I usually don't do it by myself."

"Where would you be without a maid?" Neji shook his head as he held the fabric in place so she could finish tying it.

"Not wearing such stupid clothing." She said as he chuckled. "If it was up to me, I'd tie it off the side and be done with it."

"Sure, whatever," he laughed. "You know what I think?"

"You don't usually, do you?" She giggled.

"No, that's Hanashi who doesn't think. No, _I_ was thinking that the heiress needs much more protection than she is getting. I believe that me moving back into my old room next door is a good idea."

"I think so, too," she blushed. "A very good idea."

"Neji," Hinata blushed, looking up at her older cousin. "I don't know…"

"Stop protesting," he grinned, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You will like it."

"But what if someone saw us…" She squirmed uneasily.

"I've had enough of your protests." He sighed, grabbing her wrist and pulling her roughly to him.

"But…"

"I already told you," he sighed. "I'm going to do this and so are you."

"But having dessert first wrecks the whole point of eating anything else!" She muttered, trying to pull her wrist out of his grip.

"Well, I don't want ramen. I want ice cream and so do you!" He proclaimed, pulling her into the shop. He grinned at her as he went up to the counter and ordered two vanilla ice cream cones. He handed her one cone and raised the other to his lips. She blushed bright red as she thought about what that mouth could do when…

"No!" She squeaked, clenching her hands to her chest and smashing her ice cream cone in the process.

"That was graceful," Neji shook his head before taking her hands and licking them. "How could you waste such perfectly good ice cream?" He glanced up at her through heavily lidded eyes that accented how long his eyelashes were. He brought her index finger to his mouth and started sucking on it.

"Neji," she moaned. "Please stop. We are out in the open."

"I know," he replied, taking her middle finger and twirling his tongue around it.

"We can't let anyone know," she sighed, desire clouding her thoughts. "If Chichi-ue found out…"

"He won't. We will be careful, but not today, not right now. Right now it is only you and I, nothing else matters, nothing else exists. We have been one and will be again." He whispered in her ear as he gently brought his hand up at the base of her skull and tilted her head upward so their lips were barely touching. "Right now it is only you and I."

"Neji," she whispered, her body's need for him overcoming her. "Kiss me."

"I thought that you were scared that your father might find out about us," he said.

"I don't care any more." She brushed the back of her hand over his cheek.

"Hm," he chuckled.

"What?"

"Just think of it. Yesterday we were spouting death threats against the other and now…" He bent down and gently kissed her. "Now you throw all caution into the wind."

"I'm hungry," she suddenly exclaimed, pushing him away. "I want something good, though. What do you think we should have? The steak house…"

"You are deflecting my question," he sighed as he took her arm. "But, I do want meat. Sake might be nice, too."

"Then we are going to the steak house," she nodded, pulling him along to the building. Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru were sitting in their normal spot and when Hinata came in with Neji close behind her, they all did double takes.

Hinata felt her face go bright red and Neji pinched her from behind.

"Keep moving," he muttered in her ear.

She gave a slight nod and they continued on a table. A waitress came and they ordered and soon Ino was walking over. She went rigid and Neji pinched her again.

"Act natural," he hissed as Ino slid in next to her.

"So, Hinata, Neji, what's up?" Ino asked, glancing back and forth between the two.

"Is something supposed to be up?" Neji glared at the blonde.

"Well, it's just weird to see the two of you out, together. Is something going on between the two of you?" Ino peered into Hinata's eyes and raised an eyebrow when Hinata went bright red.

"I'm sure that you have heard that Hyuga-sama has decided that Hinata-sama cannot leave the compound without an escort." Neji said smoothly.

"Really?" Ino turned to Hinata again. "Why is your father such a stick in the mud? I mean, my father wouldn't care if I ran away and joined the circus if he knew I was happy. Then again, my father really doesn't care about anything."

"It sounds like your father needs a reality check," Neji muttered as he took a sip of his drink. "A big one."

"Neji," Hinata sighed, finally finding her voice. "You should, should, should," she started poking her fingers together, suddenly uncomfortable like she hadn't since Naruto returned to the village. "You should…"

"I am amazed by your articulation skills, Hinata-sama," Neji said dryly. "Ino, your dates are starting to look lonely, oh, wait, they left without you because they are tired of your nagging."

"What?" Ino jumped up and looked over to where her teammates had been sitting. "How dare they? Shikamaru, Choji, when I find you…" She growled as she left the restaurant.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Hinata whispered as she death-gripped the table.

"No," he replied, shaking the sake bottle. "Empty," he grumbled.

Hinata looked sideways at him before flagging the waitress and ordering more. "So," she started, not sure where to start. "What is your favorite color?"

"Are you trying to make small talk because you like it?" Neji muttered. "Or is it you feel guilty because you have had sex twice with a man you barely know?"

"I," she bit her lower lip. "I want to get to know you better. Yes, I barely know anything about you, and yes, we have entered into an intimate relationship without the other knowing much about our likes and dislikes, how we live. Neji, I, I want to know you better. I want us to…"

"To get to know each other better. You know, that's why none of my former relationships have ever worked. She has always tried to get to 'know' me." He pressed his lips together. "So, what do you want to know about me? I like fish soba but hate curry. Indigo is my favorite color, my mother has a younger sister by five years, my aunt has a son named Haji who is three, you know all about my father, my teammates and sensei were personally placed on this earth to annoy me and I dislike pumpkin." He paused. "What else would you like to know?"

She was silent for several moments before saying, "I dislike curry, also. I like sweet things."

"I see that about you." Neji nodded. "I like sweet things, too."

"Which explains why you ate ice cream before you had supper." She giggled as she watched he consume his fifth bottle of sake. "So, if I asked you just why you are sitting here, telling me things about your life, would you tell me?"

"I would say that you are unusually sly today," he said as he raised his cup. "I would say that I have loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you and I, I love you Hinata." He downed the cup. "I know that you wanted to get me drunk because you thought that it would help with this little interrogation, but I should tell you, I would do anything for you, and that isn't the alcohol talking. Everything I have ever done was for you."

"Even when you tried to kill me?" She stared him straight in the eyes.

"I wanted you to be stronger. Your weakness, it was infuriating. You are the heiress of the Hyuga clan and yet, you acted like a weakling. I could not stand it."

"Yet deep inside, you are a little boy that is crying out for his father," she whispered sadly. "I understand your reasons, Nii-san."

"Don't call me that," he said angrily as he shot to his feet. "I removed myself from that position. I am no longer your 'brother.' I am the man that…"

"You do not have to say it. I know who you are. It doesn't matter though. Even if you try to kill me a thousand times, you are still my Neji. That will never change." She smiled up at him. "I am ready to go. Are you?"

"Hinata, you shouldn't be so trusting," he sighed, offering her his hand. "Let's go home."

"Yeah," she smiled as they went out the door. "So, is there anything else about you that I should know? A secret love child hanging around in the shadows? A disgruntled wife hiding in Wind?"

"No, she lives in Rain now. Conflict of interest living in Wind, you know." He tilted his head down and gently caressed her lips with his.

She allowed the kiss to continue for five seconds before the logical part of her brain started working again and she pushed him away. "Why did you kiss me?" She cried in frustration as she hugged herself, glancing around to make sure that no villager had noticed. "Right out in the open!"

"Because I felt like it." He replied, looking away with a smug look.

"Why do you make love to me?" She whispered through tears of annoyance.

"Because I wanted you to see that not everything is fun and games." He hissed, sticking out his tongue.

"Then do it again," she whispered with a sigh.

"What?" He scrunched up his nose at her.

"Make love to me again," she said softly with a blush.

"Here, now?" He looked around. "I didn't know you were so fresh."

"Idiot!" She cried, punching him. "Why do I put up with you! You ruined a perfectly good date! I'm going home!"

"Can I come?" He asked.

"No!" She yelled.

"Pity," he sighed.

"_Pervert_!" She cried, rushing away in front of him.

"You know," he called after her, "I can…"

"Don't say a word!" She hissed, rushing back over to him and clamping her hand over his mouth. "Not out here in the open when anyone can hear you. They will kill you if they find out. Slowly and painfully. Do you want that to happen?"

"No, I don't. I plan on living for a long time." A suddenly devilish look came to his eyes. "Come with me."

"Where?" She asked as he pulled her along to the village gates and out them. "Neji?"

"To a secret place. Only special people know about it." He said as he pulled her through the forest and to a tree with roots so gnarled that they had formed a natural hollow. "You said that you wanted me to make love to you again, didn't you? Well this is the one place that I can assure you that no one will disturb us."

"Are you sure that no one knows about it?" She said, glancing around to make sure that no one had followed them.

"No one that would come here would disturb anyone they find here because they would want to do the same thing." Neji sighed, slightly annoyed that his cousin was so naïve, but then again, that made it all the sweeter.

She smiled at him. "Then, by all means…"

"It is confirmed? She has slept with him?" A deep male voice asked.

"Yes. It is confirmed." Another male voice replied.

"Very good, Hinata-sama, very good…" The first voice cackled.

Preview for next chapter, CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (Carthage Must Be Destroyed):

"_Annoying, annoying, annoying!" She cried, flipping the scrolls away from her._

"_Hopefully I'm not the annoying one," Neji said, pointing to himself._

"_**Super**__ annoying!" She hissed as she pointed at him. "Why does everything have to be so difficult? Why can't it be like, 'Here is the answer, use it wisely?' Why does it have to be so annoying?"_

"_So victory will be all the sweeter!" Neji said in his best impersonation of Lee._

"_Okay, that was just down right scary. Don't ever do that again," she shuddered._

"_Yeah, I don't plan on it." He rubbed his temples. "Anything if it will cheer up Hinata. Even if it means that I'll look like an idiot."_

"_Ah," she sighed, going around the table and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How sweet. You coming up with crap to cheer me up."_


	6. V CARTHAGO DELENDA EST

Disclaimer: I am not a Q. And neither are you.

V CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (Carthage Must Be Destroyed)

--

AVT VIAM INVENIAM AVT FACIAM "Either I shall find a way, or I shall make one"

--

Hinata walked slowly through the hallways of the compound, looking out for her father and sister. Yesterday after Neji had taken her to his secret place in the woods she hadn't returned to the compound until after nightfall and her father had been livid when she had. Hiashi had been adamant when she returned that she would never leave the house again. Only Neji smoothly entering the conversation and telling the Hyuga head that he was with Hinata the whole time and would never allow any harm to come to the Heiress was the Hyuga head appeased. Hiashi had then dismissed his elder daughter and nephew with a stiff warning to never do it again.

Hanabi had lurked in the shadows during the whole conversation and had assaulted her sister as soon as their father was done. The younger daughter had demanded an explanation from her sister and Hinata was once again saved by her older cousin. Neji had explained that Hinata and he had been in the woods training and now Hinata was too tired to talk. Of course this hadn't been a lie in entirety. She was tired, but not from training. Neji had then escorted her to her room and locked the two of them in it. She had never been aware that one's clothing could be removed in less than ten seconds or that Neji liked to sleep on his stomach with one hand tucked under his stomach and with the other hand curled under his cheek.

When she had awoken that morning she had laughed when she saw the Hyuga genius, feared by so many laying there in such a disheveled state. His long sepia hair had come undone as he slept and fell over his shoulders with knots and Hinata had laughed even harder when she watched him try and undo the knots. Not that her hair had been much better but she hadn't complained about the knots like he had. In fact he had gotten so annoyed with them if she hadn't gotten out her special spray she kept for such occasions, he might have ripped out his hair and been done with it. It had been an arduous task to brush through his hair and when she finally gotten it straight he had pulled her back to the bed and proceeded to get his hair messy again though she was the one that messed it up this time.

Dressing had been just as difficult for her as his hands always seemed to be right where she didn't want them to be. Her kimono had only been put on with much trouble and another steamy make-out session. By this time it was past time for her to be at breakfast and her father hadn't looked too amused when she finally did show up at the breakfast table. He had commented that she should get to sleep earlier in the evening casing her to blush and mumble something into her collar like her father expected her too and then she had eaten everything placed in front of her like was expected of her but she tasted none of it because _he_ was there.

Neji usually didn't eat breakfast with the family but that morning he had. She had spent the whole time trying not to blush her head off every time he looked at her. She knew that he was laughing silently at her as he sat there behind his stoic mask. Hanabi had observed her sister and her cousin through the whole meal and she knew that as soon as the meal was over she would be accosted by her sister. She had tried to drag her meal out as long as she could but her father had other plans. He had called her out and asked her how her training was going. She bit her lower lip, unsure how to respond to his question. She didn't want her father to know what she had been doing when she was supposed to be training but she wasn't sure how she could avoid his stern gaze. Neji, noting her discomfort, had then given his uncle the proposal that he needed to move back into the room next to the heiress's.

Hiashi had given his nephew a long glace in which Neji returned it without flinching. Their grandmother, Hanaka, who was sitting at the end of the table, voiced her support for the move saying that Hinata's virtue needed to be protected at all costs. Hanaka's sharp eyed younger brother Hitachi who was sitting next to her also voiced his approval. Hiashi had given their opinions weight before declaring that Neji's proposition was the wisest course of action. Hiashi had then stood and walked to the door, pausing only for a second to tell her not to be a burden to Neji while he trained her later. Neji had smirked outright at that and her blush had taken over. She had stood and followed her father out the door before anyone could ask her about it.

And now she was wandering the corridors of the main house trying to avoid her father, sister, cousin, and anyone else that might have seen her at breakfast. Neji had started to fill her thoughts until she rarely thought about anything else. His face loomed in front of her as she walked through the hallways, giving her that smirk that he used when he knew he had the upper hand in whatever he was doing. She winced as she thought about their training session later that afternoon knowing that he was going to do something that would upset her but she would forgive him anyway because he now held so much sway over her.

It wasn't something she liked admitting to herself and when she did, it felt as if she had lost something but gained another. "Why is it so annoying?" She sighed, bracing her arm against the wall and pressing her head to it.

"What is annoying, Hinata-sama?" Hitachi asked from beside her.

"Hitachi-oji-san!" She squeeked, jumping up straight. "Um, I was just…"

"You are worried about your new protector, aren't you?" Hitachi smiled, placing his hand on her arm. "Neji is strict, but he is also an excellent shinobi. You can learn much from him."

"Yes, Oji-san," Hinata bowed her head respectively. "I will do my best."

"I am happy." Hitachi smiled. "You are truly shaping up to being the heiress."

"Hitachi-oji," she said with wide eyes. "Thank you." She smiled. "I must being going."

"Of course." Hitachi smiled in return. "Train well, Hinata-sama. Train well."

--

"How long before you think it will happen?" Hitoshi asked as his brother sat down next to him.

"She is very jumpy. I came across her in the hallway and she practically jumped out of her skin." Hitachi reached out and took a soba bun from the table and took a bite.

"I see," Hitoshi sighed. "I had hoped that she was above such actions. But if this assures that the next heir will be the strongest that the clan has produced… She is still a shinobi of Konoha. We will have to rescind the order for her birth-control."

"Hiashi has also started to negotiate with the Daimyo to marry Hinata to his son." Hitachi sighed. "We must take care of this before it can go through. We cannot allow the Daimyo a hold on our family. If he did, the Hyuga would be ruined. He has been after us for quite some time."

"So we will just have to take care of it." Hitoshi took a sip of his tea. "How long do you think it will take her to produce a child?"

"If she is anything like her mother, I should think it might take a long time. We should demand the stop of the birth-control right away." Hitachi stroked his chin. "We had better hope that she has inherited the stronger royal line blood, but if the Hyuga genius is the father perhaps there won't be a problem."

--

"Is this a new form of training?" Hinata gasped as Neji nibbled on her ear. After her strange encounter with her uncle she had gone to find her cousin and told him what had happened. Neji had gotten a dark look on his face and then he had grabbed her hand and pulled her away. They weren't scheduled to train together until that afternoon but he had said that it didn't matter. He didn't having anything going on at that moment and the only thing she was supposed to be doing was watching the cooks in the kitchen with her crazy aunt Kokoro so she knew how to run the household when she took over the leadership of the clan.

"No." He said dryly in her ear. "Now, raise your hand to the ready position." He said, his fingers trailing over her arm as he positioned it in the correct form. "Shift your weight to your back leg and bend your knees." His legs pressed against hers; forcing them into the position he wanted. "Don't close your eyes. If I were a true enemy," he whispered as she blinked, "I already would have killed you."

"It's a good thing you are not a real enemy then, isn't it," she whispered as he placed his hand on her hip. His fingers curved themselves to the flesh and gently guided it so she was balancing completely on one foot. "What does this have to do with training?" She sighed as his arms came around her middle.

"Nothing, I just like holding you in my arms." He murmured into her neck. "You are really bad at this, you know that? I think that you have digressed back to where you were when you were twelve."

"Does that mean that you are going to beat me up again?" She asked.

"No." He replied sharply. "What it means is I'll have to take drastic measures and spend even more time training you. Every amount of free time you have you should be training. That is the only way you will get better."

"Are your words a front for something else?" She mumbled as she pulled out of the stance and turned to face him. "Am I going to have to worry about every second of every day being one massive orgy? You say I need to get better. How is that supposed to happen if you aren't training me? Sure it is training, but not of the sort that my father wants going on. He wants me to become Hanabi. Can you do that?"

"No," he said, pressing his lips into a thin line. "I cannot."

"Then any and all training that you will put me through will be a failure."

"No, because I cannot make you into Hanabi. Hinata is Hinata. She is not Hanabi and she will never be Hanabi. What Hanabi can do and what _Hinata_ can do is so different I'm not even sure why I am comparing the two of them."

"So I can never live up to the expectations of my clan? I can never been the heir my father wants?" Hinata asked, tears of frustrations welding up in her eyes. "Is that what you are saying? I'm just as much a failure now as I was four years ago when you tried to kill me?"

He sighed. "Hinata, you are looking too much into this. You are you, I am I, Hanabi is Hanabi. That can never change because that is the way it was with our births. We cannot change who we are, but we can change how we act, how people see us. I cannot get your father's approval for you, but you can get it yourself if you try."

"I have been trying!" She yelled. "Every day of my life! Even when he gave me to Kurenai-sensei, I have always tried to please him! Him! It is always about him. Even when he called me a failure and sent me away. Even when he said that he had no use for me and handed me over to a woman I barely knew. Even now, it is about him."

"Then we should stop making it about him." Neji said, pulling her into his arms. "We don't need to please him because what he thinks doesn't matter. All that matters is you try your hardest and always do your best. Hinata is Hinata and Hinata is not a failure, no matter what anyone says."

"I just wish that my father could see me, not Hanabi. I wish he could see me, not my mother. I know he loved her and he will always honor her memory, but sometimes…" She broke off and bit her lower lip. "Sometimes I wish that I didn't look so much like her."

"You should be proud that you do." He said, kissing her forehead. "Now, we need to get back to our training." He murmured into her ear as he pulled away. "Of course, we don't have to strictly be "training" if you don't want to…"

"Neji!" She exclaimed, turning bright red. "I want to train."

"Fine," he sighed, looking away with a puppy-dog pout on his face. "Start at the beginning…"

--

Several hours later he found himself pacing in front of the door to Tenten's apartment, not sure how he got there. Sure Tenten was still his teammate and friend but since their relationship ended they hadn't really talked. Hence his dilemma. Should he knock on the door and risk having her tell him go away? Or should he just return to his room at the Hyuga compound and deal with Hanashi?

"You know, you could just go in." Tenten said from the doorway. "You've been pacing for like, ten minutes. Get in here so the neighbors don't think you are a creepy stocker dude."

"Tenten," he sighed as he followed her into her apartment. "I have a problem."

"When don't you?" She sighed, shaking her head. "What did you do this time?"

"I, I," he frowned then collapsed on her only chair. "I started seeing someone else."

"Well that's obvious. You can't keep your pants on for more than five minutes when there is someone of the female species in the room." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Now, tell me your problems then you can help me rearrange."

"Where to start," he moaned, burying his face in his hands. "Tenten, would you hate me if I told you that I had started seeing someone off limits? Someone that I cannot have?"

"It's Hinata, isn't?" Tenten asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"How did you know?" He whispered, looking up at her.

"I know you well enough to know when something is going on with you. And when you find a new girl, well, your old girl is going to be the first to know. I am jealous, you know, and petty, and I was really hurt when you left me." Her hazel eyes met his white ones and suddenly he was pulled back to the start of their relationship, the first time he had allowed someone that wasn't part of his family close enough to see that he wasn't as strong and stoic as he always claimed to be.

_Her lips pressed hard against his own as he pulled at her top, exposing her chest, his fingers trailing over the exposed skin. A groan came from the back of his throat as he pushed her back against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist. Her fingers pulled against his pants as he spun her around and forced her down on the bed, the last time had been with a nameless girl which he had never seen again._

"Neji," she whispered, swallowing hard. "What are you doing?"

"Tenten, I," he let the hand that was gripping her arm fall to his side as he turned away. "I am sorry that I pushed you away. I have never been able to form attachments since my father died. I go from one to the next without thinking about what I have done and for that I am truly sorry. Please forgive me."

"Wow. I was expecting you to kiss me and instead I get the most heartfelt apology that I've ever heard come out of your mouth. You have changed, Neji. I'm happy you have changed," she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "And I know who has brought about that change. I am happy that you have finally found her. The woman that has completed you."

"You think so? Yeah, you might be right." He reached up and patted her hand. "Thanks Tenten. You always were my voice of reason."

"If I am your voice of reason, how about you help me rearrange my apartment. I'd ask Lee but you know how that would go." She laughed as she pointed at the hangings sitting on the floor. "Voice of reason says so."

"If voice of reason says so then I guess I have to." He shook his head as he stood and picked them up. "Where do you want them?"

"On the wall." She giggled. "You know, I never really considered Hinata for you but now that I have, I see that the two of you really will make a great couple. You are overprotective and she is frail and needs someone to be overprotective of her. And just imagine the children! They will be beautiful."

"Yeah, I don't think there will be children. Something about there being two houses and her being the Heiress and me being her servant."

"But you've still slept with her, right? Hyuga Neji not sleeping with the first person of the human species that he sees that is female is unheard of."

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not sleep with every woman I see, just most of them," he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Oh, just most of them. That's okay then." She rolled her eyes. "So, when did you, you know, first do her?"

"Why are you so interested in my love life? Just because I dumped you? 'Cause you still want to have my kid?" He glanced over at her. "If you must know, it didn't happen for several months after our brake up before I gathered the courage to even approach the thought of being with her. After that it almost fell into place. I felt as if I was supposed to be with her. I sound stupid, don't I?"

"Yes, very stupid. That is the most heartfelt thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth. And no, I don't want children right now. That would mess up everything. Hang them side by side and please, I don't want to hear about your love life anymore. It's just creepy the way you can talk about your new girlfriend to your old one."

"No one ever said that you had to keep asking questions about who I'm screwing." He replied as he stood back from the wall to make sure they were straight. "Like you really need to know."

"You know what? I don't want to." She muttered as the front door swung open to reveal Lee, Xiăo, and Méizi.

"Neji!" Lee said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Being a slave." Neji sighed dramatically. "Tenten's making me remodel. The pain it is." He muttered as he straightened the hangings while trying to ignore the holes Tenten's mother was drilling into his back with her eyes.

"Tiāntiān, you have lived here for almost ten years. Why have you not fixed it up before now?" Méizi asked.

"Oh, mother. You know how hard it can be to fix up an apartment. I end up changing my mind about the furnishings about once a day." Tenten waved her hands around to emphasize her point.

"Yes, I know," the older woman sighed. "Lee is a good help isn't he?"

"Yes, Lee is a lot of help to our daughter." Xiăo grinned.

"Thank you, Jiànzhǔ-sensei!" Lee cried.

"And I'm just a spot on the rug." Neji muttered as he walked over to the door and slipped out, not wanting to intrude on the family reunion anymore than he already had.

"Neji, don't go." Tenten called from behind him.

"No. I gave up all rights when I allowed my lust to get in the way of our relationship." He bowed and gave her a wistful smile. "I hope that one day I can regain your parent's trust."

"Go home," she nodded. "To her. Be happy."

--

"I don't think so," the young woman on the examination table said with a frown.

"Oh dear," Sakura moaned, pushing her fingers through her hair. "Are you sure?"

"Well…"

"Oh my gosh, take two pills and see her in the morning!" Ino called from the doorway. "I need her more than you do! My life is on the line!"

"Ino! My patients are more important than your crummy love life!" Sakura growled. "Please excuse me for a minute," she said to the villager before exiting the room to follow Ino. "So what is _so_ earth shattering that you decided that I need to ignore my patients?"

"Shikamaru told me that he thought about marriage!" Ino squealed, grabbing her friend's hands. "How soon do you think the wedding will take place? Hopefully soon!"

"Ino, you took me away from my patient for this!" Sakura yelled, balling her hand in a fist.

"Hey, Hinata!" Ino yelled, waving at the indigo haired girl that had just walked through the front door. "Guess what? Shika is talking about marriage!"

"Really? Congratulations." Hinata said with a smile as she stopped next to her blond friend. "Do you know when it might happen? What kimono I will need to pull out of storage?"

"Well, if the way he's been going at me lately is an indication, really soon." Ino laughed.

"Going at you?" Hinata frowned.

"Oh, Hinata, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about how you wouldn't even know what that is." Ino pressed her finder to her lips then whispered, "Making love. I know that you have never probably even thought about that. I can inform you if you want."

"Ino, I won't let you corrupt the poor darling that is completely innocent!" Sakura grabbed Ino's arm and pulled her away from the Hyuga heiress. "Sorry, Hinata-chan."

"Oh, I," she blushed. "It is okay. Don't worry about it, Sakura-san."

"But then again it has been a week so they aren't alive anymore but then again I do have that…" Ino said over Hinata's voice.

"Something is alive?" Hinata said apprehensively, wanting nothing more than to turn and run back out the doors of the hospital.

"Sperm, duh. They can live for up to five days inside the female body," Ino said as Sakura clamped her hand over the blonde's mouth and pulled her away.

Hinata gave a scared chuckle, letting her hand graze her stomach as it fell to her side. Five days. She could still get pregnant five days after having intercourse. Her face drained of all color and the purpose of her visit suddenly even more important to her.

"Ino can be so vulgar sometimes," Sakura sighed as she reappeared next to the Hyuga heiress. "Sorry about that. So, what can I do for you? Hopefully she didn't say anything to offensive or anything you didn't want to know."

"They really can survive for five days?" Hinata whispered.

"Yeah. Kinda creepy, isn't it? So, what are you here for?"

"My check up." She replied, looking at her friend. "I really don't want to but it is required for female ninja. Who am I to question it?"

"Me. I don't like it either and I have told my master as much. She said deal with it though. Whatever," she waved the younger woman into an exam room. "Let me get your chart and then we can talk."

Hinata nodded and watched her friend walk out the door, her hands going to her belly. How many times had she made love with Neji in the past week? How many million… "No," she gasped, not allowing her brain to go there. She didn't want to know, and that was final, or so she kept telling herself.

By the time Sakura returned she had resorted to reciting the names of the Hyuga heads backwards to keep her mind off of things she didn't want to think about.

"Is there anything you need to talk about specifically?" Sakura asked as she glanced through the charts. "I see that your birth-control has been canceled?" Sakura's green eyes peeked over the clipboard, an eyebrow raised.

"What? That can't happen!" Hinata squeaked, clenching her hands at her stomach.

"Oh?" Sakura placed the charts on her lap as she sat down. "Why?"

"I, I," Hinata averted the pink haired girl's gaze. "I need it."

"If I didn't know better, I would say that you were sleeping with someone." Sakura peered into Hinata's white eyes then pulled back surprised. "Who is it?"

"Sakura-san," she gasped, ringing her hands together. "Please don't ask."

"Hinata, do you even know what you are doing? There are certain things… You could get pregnant; there are diseases that are passed by such contact. Are you ready for this? It is a hard decision to make. One that can't be unmade."

"All decisions can't be unmade." Hinata whispered, staring at her hands that she was rubbing together. "Though some are less than others and some consequences aren't as bad as others. I know what I am doing, Sakura. I know what I am doing."

"I hope so. I remember when I lost my virginity. It wasn't exactly a happy day. I never even saw that boy again. I was stupid, young, and thought that I was above everything and everyone. My mom found out not long after and seeing the disappointment in her eyes made me realize that she had sacrificed so much for me as a single mom and I was throwing away all she had given me. And what about the man that I would marry? I wasn't faithful to him, either. With a single misplaced thought I destroyed the future my mother built for me. Please consider what you are doing, Hinata. Is it really worth it?"

Hinata closed her eyes and shook her head. "I understand what you are saying, Sakura, but for the first time in my life I feel like someone wants me, if only to satisfy they lust. I have never been wanted by my family and for him to touch me like that, for him to worship my body like that the risks don't even seem all that bad. I just want to be loved for who I am and he loves me like that. I'm so selfish, but I don't care. I want to be loved."

"I understand." Sakura nodded. "Come and see me in six months and I'll give you the shot. No one will have to know that we aren't complying with the official orders." Sakura stood and found a syringe. "Do I at least know him?"

"Yes," Hinata's face pinched as she felt the needle prick.

"I won't ask anymore then. I don't want to know. Just be careful."

"I will. Oh, and Sakura? Please don't tell Ino." Hinata shuttered.

"Ha. Like I ever tell Ino anything important. If I did, everyone in the village would know a lot of things about me that I would not like anyone to know." Sakura gave a tight lipped smile.

"Thanks Sakura." Hinata smiled back, the weight on her chest disappearing. She had admitted to someone that she was with Neji without saying his name, the worry melted away.

--

The gates of the Hyuga compound stood as a testament against time. Once they were the only walls in the valley standing as a warning to all other ninja tribes that the Hyuga were strong and could not be defeated if one still lived.

With a sigh she walked through the gates, wondering at her ancestor's actions again. What made them think that they were better than everyone else?

"Hinata-sama!" A young branch house girl called, the green mark on her forehead standing out against the pale skin. "Hinata-sama." She giggled, waving.

"Hello," Hinata called back, giving a wave. The branch house children were taught at a young age that they weren't allowed to talk to members of the main house but Hinata discouraged such actions, finding them silly. If she was to be the leader of this family she felt that she should know people from both houses and the children of the branch house knew that if they were patient enough Hinata would bring them snacks.

"Hey," she called, glancing around with a frown.

"Yes, Hinata-sama?" The girl came over to her.

"Have you seen Haji-kun?" Hinata crouched and brushed a strand of hair away from the girl's face. "He usually plays out here."

"They came," the girl said sadly.

"They?" Hinata prompted.

"The men that did this." The girl pointed at her forehead. "They said it was Haji's turn."

"No," Hinata moaned, standing quickly and looking around. "Thank you for telling me what you saw. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Hinata-sama!" The call came from behind her but she wasn't listening, only one thought going through her head. Haji was being branded. Haji, the son of Neji's aunt, the bright, vibrant little boy that liked to climb the tree in the back garden was being branded. Bile rose in her throat as she pushed her way through the maze-like corridors to the council chambers where such actions would be carried out.

She pushed against the door, muscles straining as the hinges broke and the door fell forward.

"Stop!" She cried, seeing Haji's limp form lying on the floor with the beginnings of the curse mark outlined on his forehead. "Why are you doing this?! What good will this bring?"

"Hinata, know your place." Hiashi growled from his position.

"My place? You brand innocent children and you tell me to _mind my place_?"

"One day, daughter, you will be doing this." Hiashi said coolly, motioning to the guards to restrain his daughter. "You will watch this, Hinata. You will watch and see that this is your destiny."

"No," she sobbed as she was forced to her knees and the ritual continued. A hand clamped over her mouth to stop her from calling out as the ritual was completed.

"Take him to his parents." Hiashi ordered the guard that was holding Hinata down. "I will deal with her."

"Father," she whispered as his hand clamped around her wrist.

"What do you think you were doing, Hinata?" Hiashi hissed as the council members filed out of the room. "The branding of branch house servants has happened since the beginnings of this family. I will not allow you to stop a ritual that has existed for over a thousand years because it pulls at your heart strings. Do you understand me?"

"Do I understand you?" She repeated. "Do I _understand_ you? You are the one that brands little _children_ with the curse mark. Your own _flesh and blood_."

"You do not understand." Hiashi released his grip on his daughter. "I do not like this ceremony any more than you do. But I understand its importance. Without it, the family would fall into chaos. I cannot have that. Hinata, you are soft hearted. Perhaps you are not fit to be the head of this family." He called over his shoulder as he walked away.

"Why," she sobbed, cradling her arms against her body. "Why?"

--

"Neji, I'm sorry. So sorry," Hinata whispered after telling him what happened to his cousin. The images of Haji's small body on the floor were permanently ingrained in her mind and the pain of not being able to stop it from happening had over come her to the point that she had become nauseated. After fighting it for several moments she had stumbled to her feet and went in search of her cousin, wanting and _needing_ him to explain the bad things in life to her.

But it hadn't happened like she had hoped. Neji's face had shut down when she told him what happened and now he was standing with his back to her, silent. Pain ripped across her chest and this time she knew that he wasn't going to be able to comfort her; she was the one that would need to comfort him.

"Neji," she whispered, holding out her arms.

He glanced back at her before shaking his head. "Not this time Hinata."

"Why?" She whispered, hugging herself. "I thought…"

"No, you didn't. You never think. No one in the main house ever _thinks_ about what they are doing to the branch house. You see us as servants and some even see us as _slaves_. But we're not. We are humans, just like you. We have emotions, just like you."

"Neji, it's not me who is doing those things!" She cried, reaching out to him but he pushed her away.

"I'm not going to play this game anymore, Hinata. The main house has sacrificed so much of my happiness in the name of 'posterity'. If there posterity is the branding and killing of good people, I do not want to be part of that family anymore. You will have to live without me."

"Neji, please," she sobbed. "I, I, I love you. Please, don't say such things."

"Love is fickle, Hinata. It is lust that masquerades as…"

"You have told me all of this before!" She yelled, cutting him off. "Neji, I need you." She whispered, reaching out and touching his arm. "Please."

"Aren't you worried about the "Family" finding out about us? Isn't that why you told me that you didn't want me to make love to you anymore? You can't have it both ways, Hinata. You have to choose. Me or the pretence that you are the good girl that the family thinks you are." He looked away over the gardens. "What do you choose?"

"I choose you. Always you," she cried as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Please Neji! I was wrong. Please, I want _you_. I want you to be with me always. I want; I want Neji to be my husband. I want him to be the father of my children. I want him to be with me forever."

"Ah, one would wonder about your commitment issues. Wanting kids with a guy that is a known playboy." He placed his hands over hers. "A silly playboy that will now give up everything that he has for one chance to be with the woman he loves. So stupid that shallow boy is."

"Help me Neji. Help me destroy this curse that hangs over our family. Help me destroy it once and for all."

--

"Annoying, annoying, annoying!" She cried, flipping the scrolls away from her. They were sitting in the Hyuga library searching through old scrolls for the origins of the curse mark but they had not found anything that as remotely related to it.

"Hopefully I'm not the annoying one," Neji said, pointing to himself.

"_Super_ annoying!" She hissed as she pointed at him. "Why does everything have to be so difficult? Why can't it be like, 'Here is the answer, use it wisely?' Why does it have to be so annoying?"

"So victory will be all the sweeter!" Neji said in his best impersonation of Lee.

"Okay, that was just down right scary. Don't ever do that again," she shuttered.

"Yeah, I don't plan on it." He rubbed his temples. "Anything if it will cheer up Hinata. Even if it means that I'll look like an idiot. If it cheers up Hinata."

"Ah," she sighed, going around the table and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "How sweet. You coming up with crap to cheer me up."

"I'll come up with loads more if you want me to," he whispered in her ear seductively. "I could make up a lot more of such…" He broke off and quickly moved around the table.

"Wha?" Hinata frowned as the door opened and in walked her younger sister. "Hanabi-chan," she said smoothly, brushing the scrolls into her lap.

"What are you doing?" Hanabi glanced between them. "Looking for something special?" Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Don't say in here too long, Hinata. You still have a _lot_ of training to be doing."

"She gets more vicious by the day." Neji said darkly as he watched his younger cousin go out the door.

"Yeah," Hinata shook her head. "What ever happened to the sweet little girl?" She sighed as she dumped the scrolls back onto the table and stood. She went over to the section of the she had been looking through and pulled a book off the shelf. The pages were brittle and little flakes started to come off in her hand as she opened it, glancing through and saw instantly that it wasn't written in any language that she knew.

"Hey, Neji, look at this," she called, frowning.

"What is it?" He asked, coming up behind her and glancing at the words. "It's gibberish."

"No, see this word? It's circled. It has to be important." She said going back to the table and getting a piece of paper and a brush. "Maybe it is the code. Look. If you substitute this word for with these letters it spells…" She looked up at him. "Curse.

"Curse," he repeated. "Hinata!"

"Yeah, I think this might be the key to breaking the curse." She grinned.

--

Next chapter, ALEA IACTA EST (The Die is Cast):

"_The winner is…_Hanabi._" Hiashi said with pride, nodding at his younger daughter as she stood over her older sister._

"_Sorry, Hinata." Hanabi gave a grin. "I just want this more than you do."_

"_You can have it then." Hinata hissed as her sister was lead away by their grinning father. "I have something that will make your rule into nothing. The curse will be no more."_

Next chapter is the last.

Go to my livejournal to see author's rambles. Link in profile.


	7. VI ALEA IACTA EST

Disclaimer: Alas, earwax. It happened in my youth that I came across a vomit flavored jelly bean. So I haven't had a stomach for them since. (True story. I really did eat a vomit flavored one. It was horrible. I nearly threw up. More about the jelly bean at live journal. Shameless plug.) **There is a time-skip from last chapter just so everybody knows.**

VI ALEA IACTA EST (The Die is Cast)

--

VNVS MAGIS TEMPVS, NVNC ET IN HORA MORTIS NOSTRIS "One more time, now and in the hour of our death."

--

The scrolls were piled everywhere as she tried to get dressed. She started hopping up and down as she pulled on her pants, her eyes casting around wildly for her hitai-ate. She found it on a pile of dirty clothing she hadn't put in the laundry. She was running late and she knew it. A quick glance in the mirror told her that she did kind of look like a disparate person, but there was no time now to fix anything. Her hair would have to stay tied up in an off center bun and her jacket would retain it's rumpled look no matter what she did so she decided not to even try to make it more presentable.

Excitement pulsed through her veins as she exited her room and a short time later the compound, her eagerness to see him again singing out of every pore. He had been gone for a month, a _very_ long month in which she hadn't gotten very much done because she as always worrying about him. Whispers of war were spreading through the village like wild fire and she knew that the rumors were based in truth making her even more eager to see him safe and sound. The research they had started together had floundered after he was assigned to a border patrol which was only supposed to last a week and then they were held over for another and another and she was cranky with the Hokage by the time she heard about the third renewal but now none of that mattered. He was back. He was back.

A crowd had gathered at the great gates by the time she arrived and she saw one of the men that had left with Neji that day surrounded by his family. She cast around wildly, knowing he was there, somewhere in the throng of people searching for her as desperately as she was searching for him. Every time a head of sepia hair went by she ducked and tried to see their face but every time it was someone she didn't know and didn't want; there was only one man she was searching for and he wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Where are you?" She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"I don't know, I think I'm in Konoha, standing at the gates." A voice whispered in her ear, that beautiful voice that had been the subject of so many dreams. "Looking at the woman that loves me as much as I love her."

"You're late," Hinata giggled, spinning and wrapping her arms around his neck, not caring who saw. "I've been waiting."

"So have I. These past weeks have been torture." He whispered, pulling on her hand and leading her away from the horde and to a part of the village she had never paid much attention to.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he pulled into a building and passed a man behind a counter that didn't even acknowledge their presence as they swept by him and into a hallway lined with doors. "Is this…"

"It's a hotel. Don't worry." He said as he opened a door and swept her into his arms, carrying her into the room and lying her gently down on the futon.

"So how many girls have you brought here?" She winked at him before drawing her mouth into a pout. "I'm jealous, you know. Very jealous."

"Not that many," he leaned down and said softly in her ear. "You, and, um, you, and…"

"Let me guess, me?" Hinata grinned.

"How did you know? Are you telepathic?" His lips grazed the pale skin of her jaw. "'Cause the way you know just what I like leads me to believe that you are…"

"And if I am?" She batted her eyelashes as her hands curved to the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him. "What would you say then?"

"You are the best lover that I have ever had."

"Harrumph, you say that to every girl," she sighed, pushing him off of her. "I guess that sitting around all day every day for the last several weeks were for nothing. Neji wants a new lover. I knew that it would happen sooner or later. I was hoping for the later…"

"Minx," he hissed.

"Really?" She batted her eyelashes again as her hands came to rest on the waistline of his pants. "Am I?"

"You are a very mean woman. Do you know how many women I saw my whole time up north? None. I haven't done anything more interesting to entertain myself than sit around and contemplate just what I was going to do to you when I did return. I thought about the slow tease and the all-nighter, but right now I don't have the patience for either."

"Ooh, Neji's too big for his pants," she giggled. "I guess I can help with that problem."

"Good," he groaned. "I was hoping that you could." His hands enveloped her smaller one and he gently gave it a squeeze before he started pulling off clothing left and right. The first sacrifice was her rumpled jacket quickly followed by her white undershirt.

Not to be outdone she pulled at his shirt, not taking the time to undo it like it was supposed to be undone, the ripping sound of fabric tearing filled the room for a minute but they both ignored it. His chest was exposed to her and her nimble fingers started undoing the bandages wrapped around his chest as he started pulling on the ones covering her chest. Soon their upper torsos were both bare and heaving with deep breaths as they tried to restrain themselves from throwing their body at the other and consummating their illicit relationship once more.

Self control was taught to all Hyuga from the time they were able to crawl but in that moment neither could remember the training so painstakingly drilled into them since they were babies; all they knew is that they wanted each other and nothing was going to stand in their way. Sweaty skin slapped against sweaty skin as they wrestled to get the other's pants off. She ended up on the floor with her legs wrapped around his waist, his mouth teasing along her ear.

His hands reached behind her head and started pulling on the bun of her hair. She stuck out her tongue when he yanked it out roughly and spread her hair around her head and shoulders like a nimbus. A grin spread over his face and he gripped her hair tightly, bringing the indigo tresses to his nose.

"Beautiful," he sighed. "Never change, Hinata. Never change."

"The only time I will change is for you," she replied. "Do you want to talk or do you want to do something else? Like what you brought me here to do?"

"I think I can arrange that…"

--

The sun was still peaking behind the blinds when she awoke, sending it's defused rays over the floor, illuminating his face as he slept. All the care and worry from being gone a month had washed away in his sleep, leaving his face peaceful. The only time she saw his face like that was when he was in slumber or right as he was waking. His arm was wrapped around her waist and she slowly pried it loose so she could stand. Getting to her feet proved to be a challenge as somehow her legs had become tangled in the blanket covering them.

Tossing it aside was easier said than done she discovered with some frustration.

Finally with a low grunt she got to her feet and went over to the window, looking out to make sure that it was still the same day as the one when Neji returned. She wasn't quite sure what her father would do if she did not return but she was quite sure that he would not be magnanimous in his punishment.

With a sigh she turned away from the window and looked at the mess their clothing had made on the floor. She reached down and picked up his shirt, glancing back at him before grinning and pulling on the shirt on. It enveloped her and she couldn't see her hands at the end of the sleeves. His smell filled her nostrils and she closed her eyes wanting this moment to last forever. He stirred in his sleep and patted the empty bed beside him. She grinned and moved over to the bed, leaning down so she could kiss his bare shoulder.

"Ah," he sighed, opening his eyes and smiling at her. "What are you doing up?" He grinned as he rolled over and pulled her down on his chest. "It's too early and why are you wearing my shirt? This is a no clothes zone," he tugged on the sleeve. "Off."

"No," she grinned. "You are going to have to get used to people saying no to you."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow before spinning her around and pressing his weight against her. "I didn't think that you had it in you to say no to someone. I must punish you." He grinned as he leaned down and kissed her neck, allowing his teeth to graze against the sensitive skin, her back to arch in pleasure.

"I'm trying to," she gasped, "hold a civil conversation but you won't let me." Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as her hips started grinding against his. His member prodded her opening as his kisses became even deeper. The thought of the pleasure she could get clouded her thoughts but she pushed away. "Neji, no. We need to talk, not do things that make us forget everything but our lust."

"And what do we have to talk about? We rarely do so." He replied as he rolled over onto his back.

"That is what I am talking about! We never do so. It's always sex, sex, and more sex! Will we ever get to the point where we can just talk?" She growled as she hit him on the chest.

"Okay, let's talk, just talk. If that is what you want."

"Neji, I'm trying to say something important and you are over there pretending like it isn't! That is what is wrong with the male species to start with!" She moaned in frustration. "Neji, I wanted to talk to you about that thing we discussed when we first entered this relationship."

"Which thing?" He asked softly, stroking her hair. "You know that I am always willing to hear what you have to say, Hinata. I'm always here for you."

"Neji, I," she sighed and buried her face in his chest. "I want a baby."

"That's," he sighed. "That is a big deal, Hinata. I don't think that your father would be very happy if he knew that I was screwing around with his daughter. Hinata we gotta think about this one. We can't."

"We _can._ Neji, while you were gone I stopped my birth control."

"Why Hinata?" Neji moaned. "Do you want your father to kill me?"

"Not exactly. I want to be happy. I want to be with you forever." She pushed up on her elbow and looked him in the eyes. "Neji, you will be a great father. Look at how great a father yours was. You must have picked up some of his skills. You will be the best father ever."

"You are trying to butter me up, aren't you?" He sighed. "Can't we be together forever without your father killing me?" He pulled her tightly against his chest.

"My father wants me to marry the son of the Daimyo." She stated after a pause.

"What?! Hiashi has to be stark raving mad! Isn't he like thirty years older than you?" Neji sat up so he could look her in the eyes. "Why?"

"Dare we try to figure out what my father is thinking?" She whispered. "If we have a baby together then I can't get married to him. Please Neji. You have to help me stop this marriage. I can't marry him."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do. But we are going to talk about having a baby. That's something that we can't just do without thinking about how our lives would change with such a big decision."

"We can do that. Now that we have discussed this, we can go back to what we were doing before," she grinned.

"Ah, I don't think that I'll ever get tired of you." He grinned as he rolled back over.

--

"Tenten!" Neji yelled as he pounded on her door.

"You do know that there is a sound ordinance or something like that because of you." Tenten muttered as she opened the door and slipped outside, her hair and clothing rumpled.

"What's going on? Why aren't we going inside?" Neji frowned, peering over her shoulder. "Tenten?"

"So you are the only one that can get a new girlfriend? I can't get a new boyfriend? You are so biased, Neji. Sometimes I wonder how I put up with your pigheadedness." His teammate sighed, shaking her head. "What's up, anyway? Usually you don't come pounding on my door unless it is something important. What did you do this time? Get someone pregnant?"

"No," he glowered before sticking his lower lip out in a pout that always worked in getting her to cave. "It is something else. Something that will affect _everyone_ living in Fire Country. Hiashi-_sama_ wants to marry off his elder daughter to the son of the Daimyo. That man is thirty years older than her! What is he _thinking_?"

"Shinjimi Shigeru. Prince of Fire Country, expected to inherit the throne when his father dies, _if_ his father dies. I should seriously think that Daimyo Shinjimi will live forever so he can deny his son the crown." Tenten mused aloud thoughtfully. "Do you think that Hiashi will actually go through with it? I mean, tainting the "pure" Hyuga blood? Even if it is with the royal family, still. I don't think that I've ever heard of this happening before."

"I don't think that I have either. What can we do to stop this? We have to Tenten," he implored her, gripping her upper arms. "Please help me stop this."

"I was wondering what is in this for me? If I help you, what will I gain? You already left me once."

"Tenten," he sighed. "I'm sorry. What else do you want me to say? I thought that we had agreed that the relationship we had entered into would not interfere with our work relationships. I thought that we agreed that it was just sex, nothing more."

"You're right, you are an idiot," Tenten sighed, a sweat drop appearing. "I think I'm going back to bed."

"Please Tenten, I need your help! You are the best at gathering information and you are also in contact with the Daimyo's family. Please, this is the last favor I will ever ask you." He pleaded.

"I'm going to regret this one day," Tenten muttered, forcing her fingers through her hair.

"No you aren't," he tried to reassure her.

"Oh yes I am but I'll do it anyway, for old times sake. But no more! You have a problem next time, you fix it yourself! Ah, I wonder how Kurayami-hime will react when I show back up at the palace. Haha, she still remembers you I'm sure." Tenten giggled as she opened the door and went back inside.

"Kurayami," Neji shuttered, remembering the Daimyo's niece's face when she was angry. "That is something that I never want to see again. Ever."

--

"Neeeeejjjjjiiiiiiii!" Hanashi called as Neji entered their bedroom. "You are in _trouble_."

"Oh, what now?" Neji muttered as he sat down on his bed. "Don't you ever leave this room? You are always here when I come in."

"So? This is _my_ bedroom. You got yourself a new one, remember?"

"Yes, but I don't want to be anywhere near Hinata-sama right now. So let me sleep in piece." The Hyuga genius muttered as he buried his face in his pillow.

"Oh I could, but then you would not hear this news." Hanashi said, frowning as he held up a scroll. "A young woman came by with this not to long ago. Since I didn't know you were back, I looked at it to see if it was something that needed to be taken care of right away and it is something that needs to be taken care of _right_ away."

"Hanashi, you being serious is scary." Neji muttered as he rose and took the scroll. "You make it sound as if it is a matter of life and death."

"I very well could be," Hanashi whispered as he watched his cousin read the scroll.

"Did you know of this?" Neji asked slowly, still trying to digest was written in the letter.

"If I had, I would have sent you word before now. It came yesterday afternoon," Hanashi said, gesturing at the rolled parchment. "I didn't think that I could get someone to deliver it to you in that time. Neji, what are you going to do?"

"Do? What _can_ I do," he sighed, tossing the scroll aside.

"You ask your mother for advice. My mother was always a great help before she died." Hanashi shook his head. "Sometimes."

"Yes, my greatest goal in life is to admit to my mother that I'm a whore." Neji flung back at Hanashi. "What would your mother have said if she found out that you were like me?"

"She would have kicked me out of the house and demanded that I never return," Hanashi said, glancing over his friend. "Neji, you know what you have to do."

"I know what I have to do, I'm currently thinking about all the options that don't lead to that though. I never thought that I would personally have to tell my _mother_ that I go a girl that wasn't my wife pregnant." Neji sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. "Better options?"

"Tell your mom and get it over with." Hanashi replied. "You know, I'm thinking about getting a monkey. What do you think? I hear that they make great pets."

"Hanashi, just die," Neji groaned as he planted his face in his pillow. "Can't you be serious once in your life? Just _once_? Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes." Hanashi casually walked over and picked up the scroll. "I think that I'll call it Momiji. What do you think?"

"I think that if you do, I'll feed you to the dogs. Inuzuka is always bragging about them." Neji kneaded his temples. "Or maybe have you eaten by the inside out by the kikai bugs of the Aburame clan."

"Ha, funny. Well, I'm going to go out and comparative shop for my monkey friend," Hanashi waved as he went to the door. "Sleep well."

"Ugh," Neji replied.

"Neji, you are my best friend, but the lifestyle you lead will one day kill you slowly if a disgruntled boyfriend or husband doesn't first." Hanashi looked at the hand writing on the scroll before leaving the compound and going to the meeting place that the girl had specified.

She was sitting on the bench underneath the fifth Sakura tree in the grove, the browning leaves blowing around her. Her blonde hair was obviously dyed and the proportions of her body were not that of a normal woman. She was not the type of woman that Neji usually liked so Hanashi was surprise when he saw her.

"Koen?" Hanashi called softly.

Her head raised and a smile came to her face. "Neji!" She cried, jumping to her feet and running to hug Hanashi. "Oh, Neji, I've been waiting! How long has it been since we were last together? It's been far too long," she giggled.

"I know," Hanashi sighed. If this woman believed him to be Neji, chance were she had never seen Neji before in her life and she was just using the reputation that he had gained among the women of ill repute to her own ambitions.

"I have a question for you," Hanashi batted his eyes at her as he led her back to the bench. "How far along are you? I can't seem to remember the last time we were together."

"Oh, Neji, you know. It's been almost five months," she giggled nervously.

"Really? Five months ago. Let me think what I have been doing… Five months ago I was in the territory between Fire and Sound, just like I had been for the three months before that. Then I came home almost two months later only to be sent back three more times in the time period leading to today." Hanashi looked her in the eye. "Why are you lying? What will that bring you?"

"I'm sorry," Koen sighed, looking away. "I needed someone to be the father when I thought I was pregnant. I sent that letter almost a week ago after I heard that a man name Hyuga Neji had a reputation as someone that liked the ladies."

"But you're not pregnant?" Hanashi pressed.

"No," Koen looked up at him. "Please do not take this personally. It was very stupid of me to do this. When I heard the name Hyuga I thought about that money and prestige that name brings and I thought that I could get in on it, but now I see the error of my ways."

"You are just saying that aren't you? You still want the money and prestige." Hanashi sighed, wondering once again how Neji had managed to survive with his lust for women knowing no boundaries.

"Yes! Do you need a girlfriend?" Koen tried to bat her eyelashes but failed.

"No. Koen, you are aware that the Hyuga is divided into two houses? The first house is the Main house, which has all the money. Then there is the Branch house, the one that I belong to, that serves the Main house till we break. I have no money. It is not my place to even try to rise above my station. I am perfectly content to be who I am." Hanashi informed the woman as he stood up. "Don't do this ever again if you do not want me to have you arrested."

"Neji, please, we could still be like, friends, right?" Koen cried, jumping to her feet.

"No, and my name is not Neji, its Hanashi." He called over his shoulder as he walked away. "I'm glad that's over. Now maybe I can sleep in peace."

"Liar!" He heard Koen cry as he rounded the bend in the road and her cries were lost in the wind. "This day would have been beautiful if it hadn't been for that," he sighed as he hurried back to the compound, not to tell Neji that he had taken care of his problem but to see how his friend wiggle and squirm as he tried to figure out how to deal with his problem.

The courtyard was deserted when he entered the gates, something that rarely happened in the Hyuga family so Hanashi knew something major was wrong. He entered the Main house hoping that he could hear the maids gossiping, just like they were supposed to so all the Branch house could stay informed. He was rounding a corner when he saw Hijiri and knew she would have all the information there was _too_ know.

"Hey, Hijiri," he called, waving at her.

"Hanashi-san," she replied, bowing her head slightly before returning to her dusting.

"I didn't know that you were reduced to a maid," Hanashi frowned, looking around to see if someone important was around that she could be spying on.

She glanced up at him before raising her finger to her lips. "Shh, I'm not. I'm listening."

"To what?" He leaned against the wall, allowing his ear to press to it but all he heard was mumbling.

"Hinata-sama disappeared before supper last night and didn't reappear until lunch today. Hitoshi-sama and Hitachi-sama are questioning her. They want to know if she has found herself a lover. Personally I don't think so. It's hard to believe that the timid little Hinata-sama could pull herself together enough to look at a man let alone actually enter into a relationship with one." Hijiri's eyebrows drew together. "Do you think it could be true? It is only a week before her nineteenth birthday; I wouldn't think she would do anything to upset her father so close to it…"

"I don't know. I always thought that Hinata-sama wore a chastity belt," he muttered under his breath.

"No she doesn't. I've helped her wash her hair before. She actually has a nice body but she hides it away so no one will know," Hijiri drew her curled forefinger to her mouth. "Perhaps it _is_ possible. But then again that would mean that she would have to find a willing man that had total disregard for the social structure of the Hyuga and nothing against being with a woman that is hands and fists above you in social station, political standing and all around wealth so maybe not."

"Oh, I think there are people," Hanashi said darkly.

"Who?" Hijiri frowned. "Are they Hyuga?"

"Some," Hanashi chuckled. "If you will excuse me, I am going to go find one of them."

"Really? Will you tell me who it is?" She called as Neji appeared at the end of the hallway, coming from the direction of the library with his arms laden with scrolls.

"Neji-kun," she said, her eyes going large. "Talk to you later, Hanashi!" She exclaimed as she followed her cousin down the hall.

"Oh dear. Neji is going to get the best punishment I can think up for making me take care of the "Koen" problem. Hope Neji is defeated to a pile of putty by Hijiri." Hanashi giggled as he turned around and went back to the branch houses.

--

Scrolls and extremely old pieces of parchment dominated the floor of her room as she picked her way across to her closet to find a clean kimono to wear to dinner.

Her conversation with her uncles had been… enlightening to say the least. They knew something was going on with her and they were trying to figure it out. If she hadn't mastered the ability to say one thing and mean another by the time she was fifteen she was sure that she would have broken under their interrogation. Hitachi had been especially shrewd in his words and she had almost slipped twice but she had caught herself in time, barely. What they truly wanted to know was beyond her but she did know that if she wasn't careful, soon she was going to reveal her illicit relationship with her cousin to men that would use it against her.

She knew that Neji wasn't going to be happy with her when he found out about the talk, his persistence that she stay away from her uncles almost drilled into her system. Neji was distrusting of anyone in the Main house that wasn't her which she always thought was silly until she realized that it was a survival method. Everyone in the Branch house used it to avoid punishment and the painful activation of their curse marks.

Everyone but Neji it seemed.

When the time was right he was perfectly willing to push anyone's buttons to the max and get away with it. That was the most unfair part in her opinion. He could say something to her father that not even she and her sister could and get away with it though now she knew that he did this when ever he thought that he was about to get in trouble. Hiashi was predictable, according to Neji. All you had to do was look out for the signs and you could be living the high life. Of course this all depended on if you knew the signs and as of late Neji had been unwilling to share them with her.

"Ungrateful bastard," she hissed as she pulled on her kimono and forced her feet into her tabi. "One would think that he would want to keep me happy but no, let's mess with Hinata's head. It is amusing."

She pulled her hair up into a simple bun and left the room, knowing that the family dinner was going to be about as fun as a funeral which is why her father didn't have them very often. Now her birthday was only one day away and on that day, traditionally, the heir's nineteenth birthday was when the Head declared the heir Head herself and stepped down though they kept their rule in the shadows if the heir was weak. She wasn't weak, but her family didn't know it. Just because she had endured her cousin's beating at her first Chunin exam and then only made Chunin the second time because her opponent had a cold didn't mean that she was weak. What they didn't know was she had taken the Jonin exam in secret and been elevated to that rank, that all news of her progress she was holding back from them. She had truly become Neji's rival for the title of strongest Hyuga, without them finding out.

The table was filled with people who Hinata would rather not see, ever, if she had a choice, but she didn't so she sat and endured. Hiashi ignored her as she sat down and instead praised Hanabi for finally mastering the third of the eight stages of the kaiten. Hinata bit her lip to keep from saying that she did that almost a year ago under Neji's strict instruction.

Hitachi continued to glace at her through the whole time, leading her to wonder just what he was going to pull out of his sleeve and throw at her to discredit her in front of the whole family. Grandmother Hanaka also was looking at her weird and Hinata knew that her brothers had told her about Hinata's disappearance last night. So when Hitachi raised his glass, the signal that he wished to speak before the Head, Hinata started twisting her kimono as tightly as she could.

"Hiashi-sama, I wish to report on a recent happening." Hitachi smiled, peering at his great niece. Hinata gritted her teeth as she waited for the accusation to come, her rebuttal on the tip of her tongue when he said, "The marriage negotiations are off. Prince Shigeru has decided that he does not wish to join himself to this family."

"He believes himself to be above the Hyuga?" Hiashi asked, a deep frown marring his brow.

"I believe so." Hitachi replied and for the briefest of seconds Hinata saw a smirk on his face, telling her that he had probably been the one that forced the negotiations to a halt and finally called them off, not Prince Shigeru.

"Then we shall withdraw our support from the capital. The Daimyo will have to find a new family to fund his wars." Hiashi proclaimed, taking a sip of his drink to signal the end of the discussion.

Hinata opened her mouth to say something but caught her uncle's stare, telling her that if she didn't keep her mouth shut her "loving" uncle would tell her father all he knew about what his elder daughter was doing, and with whom. Knowing Hitachi, he probably knew that it was Neji, when the first time was, and how many time after it had happened, something even she had lost count of. A dark glare pierced her outer defensives for a moment after which she promptly excused herself to go to the library where she wouldn't have to deal with her relatives, especially the uncle that was showing more than the attention he should have for his niece.

"What is he planning," she groaned as she looked through the stacks of scrolls for the thousandth time that week, what felt like the millionth time since she started her quest.

The floor board behind her squeaked and she spun on her heal, assuming the jūken stance with out a though.

"Very good, Hinata-sama," Hitachi grinned like a fox that had finally caught his prey. "Very good."

"What do you want?" She hissed, her eyes wildly searching the room for a place where she could escape from him. "What are you planning? The marriage contracts where already signed."

"Oh, the prince had a sudden change of heart. He decided that he didn't want a whore for a wife," Hitachi looked her over thoughtfully.

"What are you saying?" She hissed, instinctively covering her body from his gaze with her hands.

"You have been a bad girl, Hinata-sama. A _very_ bad girl. If you had chosen a lover of the Main house I would have over looked what you are doing, but now that we know it is Branch house slime, there is nothing I can do. If only you had come to me when this all started. I could have helped." Hitachi said with a sad look on his face, slowly advancing on her.

"Helped how?" She started backing up until she hit the bookshelf behind her, her eyes wide with fear that he might do something to her. "Helped me by doing it yourself?"

"Oh, no. My ambitions do not lie with bedding you, Hinata. I want," he whispered in her ear, "to be the Head of this clan, and I _will_ use what ever means are necessary."

"You are mad!" Hinata cried, her hand coming to grip a scroll. With no thought, she yanked it out and hit him in the head with it. His eyes went wide with impact and then they glassed over, a weird gargling noise coming from his throat as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Just wait and see, uncle. Your ambitions will be your downfall," she gasped as the adrenaline started to recede and her limbs started feeling like jelly. "I will stop you," she sighed as her legs gave way and she sat down next to him with a thump. "With what ever means are necessary. I _will_ make sure that you never get what you want most.

A burst of hysterical giggles erupted from her mouth and she clamped her hands over it so no servant would come in to see what was wrong with her to see a council member on the floor next to her, clearly knocked out. Another laughing fit went through her body and she dropped the scroll she had used to smack her uncle, but it didn't roll away, it fell to the floor with a bang and stayed there. This sobered her up and soon she was trying to read it but it was written in the same annoying backwards way her ancestor Hinata's diary read.

"So I managed to find another one, huh? Just my luck," she sighed, placing the scroll on her lap. "Why can't it just be clear? What was she hiding that was _sooo_ important that she had to write in such a backward manner? I know she found out about the curse," Hinata shook her head, looking at it again. "But this is ridiculous. Except," she muttered, finding one paragraph at the end that was written normally.

_If you are reading this, you have found a scroll that contains secrets that my family has tried to hide away. Dear prodigy, this is what you have been looking for if you have already found my journal and you wish to read it. The key is my name, Hinata._

"Hinata," she said, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, it does make sense. _Hinata_," she giggled, jumping to her feet. "Thank you, ancestor Hinata," she whispered into the wind clenching the scroll to her chest. "This is exactly what I needed…"

--

"_Hinata."_

"_Mother?" Hinata whispered, turning around to see Hiromi standing there, the rot from being buried fourteen years ago set in. "Mother! What happened?!"_

"_Be wary, Hinata." Hiromi whispered before turning and walking away._

"_Be wary of what?" Hinata yelled back. "Mother! Come back! Please tell me what you mean!" She sobbed, turning around wildly to see her uncle standing there._

"_You have been a very bad girl, Hinata-sama." Hitachi smiled evilly._

"_What is happening?" Hinata whispered as the smoky void they had been standing in turned into the interrogation chamber he had force her into earlier that week. She felt a chair beneath her and her hand was resting on a table, but she didn't know how any of this was happening. "Am I losing my mind?"_

"_What do you have to say for yourself?" Hitoshi said from the other side of the table._

"_You are the Heiress, Hinata. We cannot have you doing these things." Hitachi said._

"_If you will not act like the Heiress, we will be forced to tell your father what we know."_

"_And what _do_ you know?" Hinata growled, not sure what was going on. The room was the same as the other day and Hitachi and Hitoshi were saying the same things but there was something _wrong_. She didn't know what it was but she knew that she couldn't be awake._

_Paradoxical thoughts hit her that you couldn't think logically in dreams since those parts of the brain are shut off; but somehow none of this could be real, as real as it did seem._

"…_We are willing to over look the man you chose if you go along with the plan to marry Shigeru." Hitoshi looked at her before turning to his brother. "You speak with her. I need to go."_

"_Of course." Hitachi nodded his head and watched his brother leave before a smirk spread across his face. "Hinata-_sama_," he spoke the title as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "You are privileged to have been born a Hyuga. You were not only born a Hyuga, you were born the _heir_. No position in our family is higher and yet you act as if it is something that you play with. Perhaps it is time for me to make you understand your position."_

"_I think it is you that doesn't understand," she spoke even though she _knew_ with every fiber of her being that she had not spoken back to her uncle the first time. "It is my body, my life, my _title_. You are the one that does not understand."_

"_You go too far," Hitachi's eyes narrowed. "How dare you speak back to a member of the council, your elder?"_

"_One day, uncle, you will understand," she whispered as he came around the table and gripped her shoulder._

"_Oh, no, Hinata. You are the one that doesn't understand. No anything. Allow me to enlighten you…" Hitachi grinned as he tore the fabric of her shirt open._

"_NO!" She cried, trying to force him away only to discover that her arms would not move like she told them to, her legs wouldn't even budge a toe to stop him from his attack and the most devastating part was her voice would not be heard by anyone in the house. Screams for help were always ignored, especially when they came from a room like this one, one that was used only for liaisons between a Main house male and a Branch female. The man was never punished in a situation like this but the woman, if caught with him, had her curse activated for five minutes, and if that punishment wasn't bad enough, if she became pregnant by the unwilling encounter, she and the child were stripped of the title Hyuga and forced onto the streets._

"_No!" She screamed again, knowing that this never happened, wanting to know why she was dreaming it was happening. Her mother's earlier warning came back to her and she found the strength to fight back tooth and nail until they were both battered and bruised._

"_You think you have won, Hinata-sama, but you have not! I have prevailed." Hitachi laughed pointing at her stomach._

_Her eyes went wide when she saw it, swollen and distended. "No!" She yelled._

--

"NO!" She yelled bolting upright in bed.

"Hinata?" Neji groaned from beside her. "What time is it?" He raised his head to glance at the clock and instead saw the Hyuga heiress running out the door. "Hinata! What are you doing? You aren't wearing clothing," he groaned, casting around for his pants. He saw them under her shirt. He quickly pulled them on and followed her out the door to the bathroom.

"Hinata?" He whispered, going over to where she was huddled in the bathtub, the water running scalding hot. He reached down and turned it off before asking, "What's the matter?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Please tell me?"

"Why do they all hate me?" She sobbed, clenching her knees to her chest even tighter. "Why do my father, and my uncles and my grandmother and my sister and my aunts and my cousins and my relatives that I'm not sure how I'm related to them hate me?"

"They don't hate you, Hinata. No one hates you," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I don't hate you."

"You're sleeping with me. You are required to half way like me." She raised her head to look him in the eyes. "You do like me right and not just the sex? You don't wish I was dead."

"I would never wish you dead," he whispered, kissing her temple.

"But you tried to kill me. You almost did. You hate me too." She wept.

"Hinata, Hinata, Hinata," he said over and over. "If I hated you would I tell you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you? Would I willingly bow down to your wanting to have a baby? Would I dream of the child, wishing they were just like you? Would I come in here and wipe away your tears?" He gently traced a tear track before gently kissing her lips. "Do you still think I hate you?"

"Why would you want a woman like me? I don't deserve you."

"No, Hinata. It is _me_ who doesn't deserve you. I still can't get over the wonder that you were willing to see me as something more than just expendable. You love me as a woman should love a man, not as a lowly servant. You are the one that saved me from myself. You are my savior. Thank you, Hinata. Thank you."

"Neji, stop buttering me up," she cried, burying her face in his shoulder.

"What do you want me to do?" He chuckled.

"Love me," she sighed. "Just love me."

"I think I can do that." He replied. "In fact, I know I can." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Now, are you going to tell me what is going on?" He whispered pulling her out of the bath gently and drying her off.

"I had a nightmare," she sighed as he started kissing her leg after he dried it off.

"About what?" He glanced up at her as he repeated his actions on her other leg.

"Hitachi."

He drew back and looked at her with a concerned look. "Why him?"

"The dream started off with my mother. She told me to be wary," she said slowly. "She, she was, was, a corpse. Her skin was falling away from her face. She, she, she is dead. Why did she appear in my dream?"

"I don't know," he sighed, pulling her down onto his lap. "I don't understand this either. Did something happen with Hitachi yesterday? Did he say something that would upset you?"

"I saw him in the library," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. "He knows, Neji. He knows what we are doing. He is perfectly willing to use it against us, too. He told me that he broke off the marriage with Shigeru because of this."

"The marriage with Shigeru is off?" Neji's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Was it important?" She sniffled.

"He was trying to take you away from me. Of course something like that would have been important." His arms tightened around her. "We need to talk about your dream though. It is always best to talk to someone about something upsetting."

"I said things that I would never say and yet they came out of my mouth as if they were the most natural things for me to say," she gasped, remembering that she had acknowledged the fact she was sleeping with Neji to her uncle and then told him to butt out of it because it was none of his business.

"I'm sure that it wasn't that bad," he tried to reassure in a whisper, kissing her cheek.

"Do you think that I am losing my mind?" She sighed, pushing away from him.

"Yes," he replied, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. "Every piece that was ever in there is lost. We will have to find it…" He chuckled as he started kissing the sensitive skin of her shoulder and then her neck, making his way up to the skin behind her ear.

"You really think me crazy?" She murmured sadly.

"No, what I think is that it is your birthday and we shouldn't even be thinking about this. I haven't even given you your birthday present yet," he laughed, shifting her so she was bridal style in his arms as he stood.

"What is it?" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise." He grinned.

--

"Should I leave my hair down?" Hinata asked as she sat in front of her vanity, only a towel wrapped around her lithe body.

"You already know what my answer is going to be so why did you ask?" Neji muttered from behind her as he came over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "No."

"Predictable," she made a face at him in the mirror and he made a face back. She picked up her hair brush and started running it though her hair.

"I know that I am," he grinned.

"So did you get me anything else for my birthday?" She asked.

"Maybe," he said.

"What?" She tilted her head to the right so she could look up at him. "I'm not telepathic."

"Are you sure?" He whispered in her ear.

"Very sure," she murmured as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "What are you doing?"

"Wondering how long it would take me to convince your father that you should be mine," he said.

"I don't think that that will ever happen." She sighed, getting up so she could dress.

"I think it could," he grinned, gripping her arm and spinning her around. "Don't you want me?"

"Yes."

"Then what is the problem?" He muttered as he gently pushed her against the wall and started oscillating his hips against hers.

"I think that we have already had three too many happy birthday romps," she whispered.

"I don't think that is true, but if you don't want me to anymore, I guess I'll just have to give you this," he said, holding out his palm. A small box rested on it and she took it.

"Do I get to open this now?" She asked, taking the package.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Do I get to guess what it is?" She questioned softly, pulling at the wrappings to reveal a small white box. She pulled the lid off slowly to reveal a delicate looking umeblossom necklace. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

"I got it just before I went up north. I thought you would like it." He grinned as he took it out of the box and placed it around her neck. "And your father will never ask where it came from because it will stay hidden near your heart, just like me."

"Neji, it's beautiful. Thank you," she grinned, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I'll treasure it always. I'll never take it off."

"I was kinda hoping that you would say that," he smiled. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course," she winked at him. "You can comfort me after I have dinner with my crazy family."

"Hopefully I'm not one of the crazy ones," he smirked.

"Go, I need to get dressed," she giggled. He stuck his tongue out at her before leaving the room. Her hand went to the pendant on the necklace, a smile growing on her face. No matter what her father and uncles said at dinner that day she would have Neji close to her heart, making everything perfect.

--

The threat of snow hung in the air but other than that the day was perfect. The sun peeked through the clouds every now and again, bathing the world with its brilliance, warming her. She pushed her scarf away from her nose and mouth so she could see her breath, something that always made her giggle.

"You're really weird, Hinata." Kiba muttered from beside her.

"My insanity keeps me from going crazy," she giggled.

"She's not weird, Kiba-kun. You are." Shiri said from across the table.

"Kiba, you do realize that you are out numbered," Kurenai said as she took a sip of tea.

"Yeah? That's why Akamaru is here! He's a guy and he can withstand all these _girls_." Kiba stuck out his tongue.

Hinata sat back and watched with some amusement as Shiri stood and tackled her brother's teammate and held her own against him.

"Do you have anything special going on today, Hinata?" Kurenai asked, her two tone eyes watching Shiri triumphantly sit on Kiba's chest amid his protests.

"Only a family dinner," the birthday girl sighed. "And you know how those go. Long, boring, tempers flaring, food sometimes flying... I almost wish I could get out of it but I know that I can't. It's my nineteenth birthday."

"Next year you won't have to worry about it." Kurenai studied her former student before asking, "Has your father said anything about you becoming Head?"

"No, but that's just my father. He doesn't talk about anything," Hinata sighed. "I think the last time I actually spoke with him I was seven or eight. I told him that I was happy he was my father, and in reply he told me I was lucky that I was his child. Back then I didn't realize that he meant that if I had been born anyone else in the family, I would have been a Branch member at birth and forgotten."

"You can't know that Hinata." Kurenai's brows drew together. "Your father loves you, in his own way. He just doesn't know how to express his love."

"If he loves me…" Hinata trailed off. "I don't think he does. He never has. It is something that I realized a long time ago. I have learned to deal with it."

"Hinata."

"What else can I do?" Hinata said. "I don't want to talk about this right now. It's my birthday. I want have at least a little time away from my family.

"I understand." Kurenai smiled sadly, wishing there was something she could do for her former student. "Damn Hyuga law," she hissed under her breath.

"Shiri-chan, if you don't stop, you might suffocate him!" Hinata laughed as she saw her young friend's arms wrapped around Kiba's neck. "Though if he can't breathe that would mean that he would be quiet for once."

"Hinata!" Kiba gasped out.

"You know, you have matured a lot since I met you," Kurenai smiled as she handed her student an envelope. "I figured that you might be needing it."

"What?" Hinata raised an eyebrow as she opened it. Inside was two all day passes to the hot springs resort.

"I thought that you might want to spruce yourself up," Kurenai said. "You know. For when you get a boyfriend."

"Yes. He'll come along when I'm eighty by the way my father acts," Hinata said dryly.

Kurenai chuckled before calling, "Shiri-chan, Kiba, weren't you going to give Hinata presents? It is her birthday."

"Yeah! Open mine first! It's better than Kiba's!" Shiri yelled, grabbing her present and handing it to Hinata. "It's from our whole family. Mom, Dad, and me."

"I'm sure that it will be better than Kiba's. Last year he got me a flea collar." Hinata chuckled as she tore open the package to reveal a photograph of a flower. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was a large moonflower that was just opening as the moon's rays hit it, tiny drops of dew clinging to its petals.

"Shiri-chan, it's beautiful. Thank you," Hinata whispered.

"I saw it and thought that it would have been the gift Shino would have gotten you," the younger girl said softly. "When Mom saw it she agreed."

"Shiri-chan," Hinata said, rising and going over to the girl so she could give her a hug. "I love it. And you're right. Shino would have picked the exact same thing."

"Okay, I hate depressing moments." Kiba said after a moment's pause. "I swear that this year's gift is better. Hana helped me pick it out."

"Well if you got _feminine_ input this time…" Hinata rolled her eyes as she opened the small package. She could tell that Hana had also been the one to wrap it since last year's and all the years before that had never been wrapped so neat. Pale blue paper fell away to reveal a small white box. She sucked in her breath when she opened the lid and saw a necklace exactly the same as the one Neji had given her that morning.

"Kiba-kun," she whispered.

"I know, not like last year's gift. Here, let me help you put it on," Kiba grinned taking it out of the box and moving to put it around her neck. "You already have a necklace on; do you want me to take it off?"

"I," she bit her lower lip. "Where did you get it?"

"That little pawn shop, you know the old dude that sells everything for ten times the price anywhere else. Hana seemed to think that he sells the best jewelry. Funny thing is we saw Neji in there at the same time. He was buying a necklace like this and Hana said that it would be the one that any girl would want. She said he had good taste. I only hope the girl he had snowed this time has good enough sense to break it off with him. He's bad news no matter how much I respect his abilities."

"Kiba-kun, I don't think that I can wear your necklace to my family's dinner. I would not want to taint it in such a way," she said, swallowing hard, trying to hide her surprise.

"Oh, okay. Just as long as you wear it on a date with me," he joked as he returned it to it's box.

"Sure," she tried to smile but failed. "I need to be getting home."

"Hey, I'll help you carry your presents." Kiba grinned as he collected Shiri's gift in his arms.

"Shiri, be a good girl," Hinata said as she hugged her. "I'm always here if you need me."

"Thanks Hinata-san," Shiri grinned.

"Take care, Hinata," Kurenai whispered as she drew her favorite student into her arms.

"I will, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata nodded. "See you later," she called, waving as she and Kiba started their trek back to the Hyuga Compound.

"Say, Hinata, I'll see you tomorrow?" Kiba asked as they stopped at the gates.

"Yes," she nodded, taking her gifts from him. "Thank you, Kiba-kun."

"Don't mention it," he laughed. "Bye."

"Goodbye." As the word left her mouth she felt a sense of foreboding, telling her that as soon as she entered the compound her life wouldn't be the same ever again.

--

Hinata stood near the door to the dinning room, all those who are gathered there weren't there to celebrate her birthday but watch her become a bumbling idiot, she was sure. The nineteenth birthday of the heir was the day when the Head became the former head but so far her father hadn't said a word about it to her. She had known since she was a small child that her father had never liked her and disliked the naturally meek disposition she had inherited from her mother, but she didn't think that he would actually cut her off. Hiashi was a stern father, but he was also a man of principles and when something was written in the laws he would uphold them even if it meant that he would have to brand his own nephew.

She took a deep breath and entered the room, ignoring the glances, snickers, and less than polite comments as she took her seat next to her father, just like the heir was supposed to. Hanabi was seated on his left and by the smirk on her face as she sat across from her sister she knew that something big was going to happen, and it wouldn't be good for her.

"Father," Hinata said as he sat, the overwhelming urge to run away hitting her full force. She wasn't sure where these emotions where coming from but she almost gave into them, her hand posed on the table to push her to her feet when she bit the inside of her cheek. The feeling retreated as soon as she tasted the coppery blood on her tongue and she knew that someone was trying to use genjutsu on her.

"Father, why this pretense?" Hinata looked around at the hostile faces, knowing that it was finally the end for her. Her reign as heir was over on the day she should have become Head. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so serious she decided. "Stop pretending. Tell me what is going on."

"Hinata," Hiashi looked his elder daughter in the face for the first time in a long time. "I declare a secession battle."

Hinata stared at her father in shock. A secession battle? That ancient method of deciding a successor hadn't been used in almost eighty years, so why now? Was Hanabi that mighty in his eyes that he couldn't see his elder daughter's worth?

"I see," Hinata whispered. "When will it take place?"

"As soon as you have changed," Hiashi said, standing. The rest around the table also stood, Hanabi's grin haunting her as she was left in the room with her grandmother and great-aunt.

"Come, Hinata," Hanaka ordered.

Hinata sat immobile, the tapestry on the wall across from her depicting the same battle that she would soon fight, the winner in it having killed the other contender. "Do you wish for my death as well, Grandmother?"

"Do you believe that Hanabi is so much stronger than you that she will kill you?" Hanaka asked as she pulled her granddaughter to her feet and out the door.

"Even if Hanabi does not kill me, I will still be dead. My name will be erased from the family records; I will become another servant, one whose name and life are easily forgotten." Hinata said as she was pulled into a small room off from the dojo.

Hanaka and Hotaru made quick work of removing the silk kimono she was wearing for her birthday feast, replacing it with a pair of stretch pants and a jacket, her ninja sandals by the door.

"If you do not wish to die, fight, Hinata," Hanaka said after a while, surprising her granddaughter. "No matter what they say, you have the blood of the original Hyuga in your veins, the unbroken Royal line has lasted for thousands of years and you are part of that line. You have the strongest Hyuga blood flowing through your veins; it is what _you_ decide to do with it that will choose your fate."

"Grandmother?" Hinata said in astonishment.

"Your sister is strong and a good fighter, but she does not have the patience that you do. Watch her, feel her movements. If you do this, you will _win_," Hanaka said, tying her hair back.

"Thank you, Grandmother." Hinata said, taking a deep breath. "I am ready now."

"Hinata," Hanaka said as she went out the door, "I am proud of you."

"Grandmother," Hinata bowed her head. "I am honored."

Hanaka inclined her head and Hinata walked out of the room and into the dojo, ready to face her fate, what ever it might bring.

Many Main house members were seated in the arena, the sides clearly drawn-in Hanabi's favor. There was only a hand full of people on her side, the purists that wanted the family to say the same, no matter what political storm they would have to weather to have their way. Her father stood behind Hanabi, his face expressionless but Hinata could see in his eyes the desire for his elder daughter to lose the match-and the title-so he could be assured that the strongest blood was the next heir.

"The battle is simple," Hiashi declared as the sisters came to the middle of the ring. "The first one to submit, either by withdrawing, or by death, is the winner. May the best Hyuga win."

"Sorry, sis," Hanabi said as they waited for their father to give the signal for them to start. "I know you've always been like a mother to me, but you aren't cut out to be the Head. You should withdraw before this battle starts."

"What, you don't have confidence in my abilities?" Hinata frowned.

"Of course I do, I just know that I am better than you." Hanabi grinned as the signal was given.

Hanabi struck fast and low to her right side, the veins around her eyes budging as she activated her kekkei genkai, looking for chakra points to close.

But Hinata was faster, having fought her sister many times over the years so she knew where she would strike first, where she always did, on the right side because she had trouble with judging distance on her left side.

Hinata blocked the attack as she jumped back slightly, just out of Hanabi's reach. Her own Byakugan activated as she moved forward experimentally to see how much ground her sister would give her.

Not much, she discovered as she was drawn into a sparing match.

Left block, right strike, parry low, swing high…

The motions repeated themselves so many times that Hinata lost count of them, all she knew was her own ragged breathing; and that of her sister. Hanabi started to weary after the seventh squabble they engaged in and Hinata finally started allowing herself some breathing room.

Hanabi was good, yes, but Hinata knew she was better.

Younger sister started to be driven back by older sister until they were on the edge of the mats, the family members who had gathered to watch the battle only feet away.

Hinata continued to hold her own against her sister even when Hanabi's desperation got to the point where she started using dirty tactics, such as using a knee and elbow as weapons. Such things were strictly forbidden in a battle such as this one but Hanabi was never called on it and Hinata knew if she started using the same tactics she would.

The double standard that her family held her to was almost laughable to her and at one point during the battle she did let out a chuckle at the ridiculousness of it. Why were they, sisters that were as close as sisters could be, fighting each other in a life or death duel? It made little sense to Hinata as she jumped out of the way of Hanabi's kick.

Very little of her life made sense she discovered in that moment. Who were the Hyuga to believe that they held a high position? Once a very long time ago they had proven that they were worthy of it, but now, they only clung to that memory, the power and strength of those long gone people only seen in faint whispers now.

Neji was the closest to the original Hyuga as had been produced since the very first Hyuga and he was very likely to be the last of such power if the Hyuga continued down their self appointed road to destruction.

"Stop this, Hanabi!" Hinata cried. "Don't you see what they are doing? They are trying to destroy our family!"

"Stop trying to confuse me!" Hanabi yelled back. "I know what I want and you can't keep me from it! I will be the Head of the Hyuga!" She growled as Hinata landed a blow on her side.

"Hanabi, this is madness!" Hinata screamed as Hanabi's foot came into contact with her knee after she couldn't quite get out of the way. "Sister against sister like this? What has the Hyuga name been reduced to? Are we a pack of wild wolves?"

"I don't care what you are talking about!" Hanabi yelled. "I will prevail! I _will_ be Head!"

Hinata stared her sister in the eyes, seeing the slight stirrings of madness in them. "Then take it," she whispered, taking a step back as she slowly raised her hands in defeat as she knelt. "Take the title you so long for. Just stay my little sister. Don't give into your hate."

"Hinata-sama has backed down!" A voice cried.

"Hanabi-sama will be the new Head!" Another joined in.

"Hiashi, what do you say?" Hitachi asked calmly as the Hyuga Head stood.

"The winner is…_Hanabi_." Hiashi said with pride, nodding at his younger daughter as she stood over her older sister.

"Sorry, Hinata." Hanabi gave a grin. "I just want this more than you do."

"You can have it then." Hinata hissed in anger at her clan as her sister was lead away by their grinning father. "I have something that will make your rule into nothing. The curse will be no more."

"Hinata! Why did you do that?" Neji softly cried from her side, slowly helping her to her feet.

"Neji, I have decided something. Do you want to hear what?" Hinata said, gripping his wrist. "How much do you want this to be gone?"

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked, looking around to make sure that no one was close enough to see the two of them talking.

"How much would you sacrifice for this clan?" She whispered, staring into his eyes.

"Honestly? Nothing," he shook his head. "What does this have to do with what just happened?"

"He is dangerous, Neji. Look out for him," Hinata whispered, nodding toward Hitachi who was making his way toward them. A chill ran down her spine at the sight of him and a sense of foreboding overcame her.

"Hitachi?" Neji muttered, his brows drawing together thoughtfully. "My mother told me something interesting about him once. He apparently told Hotaru-san's father that he was going to marry his daughter whether Hotaru wanted it or not. Hotaru's father was a member of the council and had no male heir so Hitachi couldn't have picked a better bride. Name, position, power; he gained it all with his marriage."

"Not to mention he was saved from the branch house because of his lucky marriage," she sighed. "We have to look out for Hanabi. We have to keep her away from him until everything can be sorted out. We cannot allow him to tear our family apart."

"How will you do that?" Neji questioned.

"You'll see. Trust me, you'll see," she said as Hitachi came over and touched her arm.

"It seems that we have a lot to talk about, Hinata." Her uncle grinned, leading her away.

"What do you want?" She sighed as he led her into a deserted room.

"What do you think about Hanabi-sama becoming the new head?"

"I don't care. My father has made it clear from the very beginning that he wanted her to succeed him in the first place. My only hope is that Hanabi can keep her head when faced with the challenges of being the Hyuga head at such a young age."

"You will be branded. Does this not upset you? You have been against the curse mark for almost three years now. What will you do when you wear it yourself?" Hitachi laid his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I could help you," he whispered in her ear. "I could place you on the throne if you cooperate with me."

"What would a man such as you, married and part of the council, want with me, a girl that now has nothing? I am now just Hiashi's other daughter, the one he forsook for his younger one." Hinata said in a guarded tone, not liking the way Hitachi was talking to her, it reminded her too much of her nightmare from the night before and what he had said to her in the library.

"You could have a position that is higher than the one you just lost," Hitachi hissed in her ear.

"I refuse." Hinata bit out.

"Then you are a fool. Watch your back, Hinata. I'll be coming for you soon." Hitachi's eyes narrowed as he turned and left the room, leaving behind a heavy atmosphere.

"Do I dare ask what that might be?" She whispered as she slipped her hand into her pocket and felt something there. She withdrew her hand slowly, Kiba's necklace resting in the palm of her hand. She stared at it long and hard, wondering how it got there.

"You and Shino were always helping me be better than I was, you always believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Soon, the changes that this clan needs will come. Soon, there will no longer be two houses. Soon, there will only be Hyuga." She declared as she put the necklace back into her pocket. "I have a lot to do first, though. Wish me luck."

Her grim words followed her out of the room and she felt the power of the Hyuga pressing down upon her, but she refused to bow to it. She might not have been the favored daughter and she might have been weak as a child, but in the end she knew that _she_ would be the one that would save the Hyuga. No matter what her father, uncles and even sister said, she was the one that was born into that position, she was the one that would save them from ruin, she was the _true_ Hyuga Head.

A humorless chuckle escaped her mouth, the knowledge that waited to be unlocked in the scroll she had so painstakingly gathered only needed to be translated now and she knew that she could do it before Hanabi's coronation. The ultimate irony about it all was Hanabi's almost over the top need to be Head would be wiped out with Hinata's plan and as the elder daughter pondered her next move, she realized that she didn't care. The Hyuga would return to the way they were originally supposed to be, and that was all that mattered to her. When she was through, the curse would be no more.

--

Finis Incipient, the story continues in One Last Time and then Forsaken.


End file.
